Daytona July 4-8, 2007

Wednesday, Happy Birthday America

After a couple of rainy days in Jacksonville, we were thrilled as we entered the infield of the Daytona International Speedway on the fourth of July. Keith and I found a parking spot for Rose at a church on Williamson Drive. For a $50 donation to the church, she could park her car there until Sunday. Not much was going on at the track today other than watching the RV's and rigs pull in. To celebrate Rose and Patrick's very recent 25th and 30th birthdays, we went to Carraba's across the street from the track. Patrick walked because all six of us cannot fit in the Jeep. It was a very long walk in the hot sun, so he definitely earned his meal that night. On the way home, Keith made two trips so no one had to walk.

Thursday-Friday July 5-6

Thursday was the Rolex race, which is not that interesting to me, but Keith watched most of it. Both days, we spent time at the haulers and getting pictures and autographs at the gate. We saw practically everyone. I actually have not seen Jimmie Johnson in 3 years, but I think I have seen everyone else at least once. The picture inserted is Keith with Joe Gibbs Racing driver of the #18, JJ Yeley. On Friday, the Busch drivers qualified, but the Cup driver qualify session was canceled due to rain with 14 drivers left to qualify. Keith and I went to the taping of Trackside in the afternoon because I wanted to see Darrell Waltrip. After 3 years, I finally got to see DW! We also went to the superstretch looking for the Team Red Bull hauler. We finally found it (we had looked all over for it earlier). Unfortunately, it was closed and open only on Saturday. I was exhausted and still did not have an Allmendinger shirt for my brother. So we made plans to go back the next day. Rain continued so the Busch race was postponed!

Saturday 7-7-07 RACE DAY

DIS held both the Busch race at 9 AM and the Cup race at 8 PM. Obviously 9 AM in July in Florida is NOT the best time for a race. It was extremely hot on top of the RV. Sara and I ended up spending the middle of the race in the pool! To top it off, Kyle Busch won the race. To quote Sara: "Kyle Busch! Who's Kyle Busch? He's not one of our drivers!" Then they still did the fireworks display - sounded great, but you couldn't see the fireworks in the daylight. It was soon time to go back to the superstretch. We tried to catch the shuttle - after waiting forever, it was full when it arrived. We then decided to take the jeep - no parking. So finally Keith let Rose and I off at the tram and he went to the store. It was a long walk, but at least the hauler was open this time. I have my brother's Allmendinger shirt, but I felt bad that Keith couldn't come with us. Rose and I went to get him a David Reutimann hat. When I asked for the hat, David Reutimann himself was in the hauler, so we were able to get the hat autographed for Keith.

PEPSI 400

Keith, Rose and I went to Fan Zone for driver introductions. We were able to get on the tri-oval, sit on the banked track, and sign our names on the checker start-finish line! We were able to see even more drivers as they walked to the stage for driver introductions. We watched from behind the pits for a while before going back to the RV. Keith and I were shocked because Rose was on the top of the RV with Patrick. She is afraid of heights so she never gets on top the RV. I did not get to make Sara take her nap today because I had gone to the superstretch; therefore, she had already fallen asleep. Keith and I joined the kids on the roof for an extremely close race. It was thrilling as we had no idea who would win. Jamie McMurray won the race by inches over Kyle Busch. I love Jamie, so I was pleased. The top ten had some of the drivers I do not care for, so I was concerned that one of them would win the race. For the past two years, Tony Stewart has won this race. Tony wrecked early, so it was probably good Sara fell asleep - Tony's her favorite driver. Now this fireworks display was awesome! I taped ten minutes of it for Sara, but my arms were too tired to tape it all. Another great Daytona race ends with excitement. Tomorrow, we head home until next July's race.

Chicago Part 2

Thursday, June 28, 2007
8:30 seemed late on Monday, but today it seems very early after our late night at the theater. I had a headache for most of the day, so this was not my best day. We had breakout sessions to practice the software presentations. We were in a room with no windows, and the AC here does not work like it does back in Louisiana. I also was bored because I didn’t need practice for the software. It is very much like netTrekker to set up students and reports are similar to Achievement Series, so I felt confident and prepared from the get-go. I presented the software demo games and the section on writing. The training did not complete until 5 PM. Everyone met in the lobby at 5:45 for a group dinner at Giordano’s Pizza to experience some authentic Chicago pizza. It was very good, especially the deep dish spinach pizza.


Friday, June 29, 2009
This morning everyone received individual feedback on presentations from one of the trainers. I was pleased that my trainer felt I would be ready to present immediately. They had a limo service for me at 11 AM because my flight was at 1:13, so I left for O’Hare after telling everyone a quick goodbye. All the people in this group have been interesting and fun to meet, so I hated that I had to be the first to leave. I had to fill out some forms before I left, then off to the airport. This ride with AC was much better than the hot taxi ride on Monday; however it was chaos at the airport. Apparently, weather had forced many delays and cancellations in the past few days. I saw that my 1:13 flight was now changed to 2:00 PM meaning I would not make my flight to Lafayette from Dallas. We actually did not get to leave until 2:30. The airlines had gotten a 747 and merged two flights to try to catch up the backlog of standbys. I felt like I was on the Amazing Race as I tried to find options for getting home. I checked flights directly to New Orleans, but everything at O’Hare was behind, so I decided to try my luck once I got to Dallas. Luckily, I was able to get on a 7:10 flight to Lafayette. Did I say 7:10? Silly me, thunderstorms in Dallas, flight changed to 7:20. 7:40, 7:55 – every time I looked at the monitor the time changed. I contemplated going to Houston and catching a redeye in the morning, but then decided to stick with this flight. We finally took off in the rain at 8:20. After landing in Lafayette and driving to Morgan City, I finally arrived home at 11:30 P.M. – 12 ½ hours to get from Chicago to Morgan City. Now I just have to unpack and repack as we leave for our Daytona trip at 10:00 AM tomorrow morning!

Wicked Chicago

Monday June 25, 2007
The alarm went off earlier than usual as I had to leave for Lafayette at 4:30 A.M. I made the trip easily arriving in Lafayette with plenty of time for security and check-in before my 6:40 AM flight to Dallas. From Dallas, I flew to Chicago’s O’Hare airport arriving at 12:25 PM. I quickly caught a taxi to Evanston because the training started at 1PM. I was immediately surprised because it was extremely hot in Chicago and the taxi had no AC. Why would anyone put up with the snow during the winter if you still had hot weather in the summer? So much for my anticipation of a cool week!
I had no trouble finding the training building in Evanston, and I was greeted by a friend I had previously met in Dallas. Someone was speaking so I quickly found my table. The first afternoon session lasted until 4:30 and covered the history and foundation of the program, and Toby also modeled the introduction part of the training. We were free for the evening. Evanston is about 30 minutes north of Chicago. The downtown area consists of four major streets with a wide variety of restaurants, shops, spas, a large movie theater, several Starbucks, and professional buildings all within walking distance. Both the Metra system and the “EL” subway system have stations on the corner. I checked in at the Hilton Garden Inn, dropped off my bags, walked to the bookstore, checked out the movie theater, and browsed in a few shops before deciding on Chili’s To Go for dinner. I ordered my favorite Margarita Chicken and took it to the room for supper. While waiting at Chili’s, I read the paper and saw that Wicked was playing in Chicago. I checked with Ticketmaster online and found one seat on the third row center for Wednesday night. I was so excited. Of course, I would have to figure out how I was going to get to Chicago and back, and I hoped that I didn’t have any homework from the training that I would have to do. But who cares, I am going to see Wicked!

Tuesday, June 26, 2007
I love this training schedule – breakfast at 8:30 with training beginning at 9 AM. I actually slept late considering the alarm usually blares at 6 AM. Both breakfast and lunch were provided for us each day. The food was fabulous and varied daily. Another trainer manager joined us today. She is the one who interviewed me for the training. She had just spent last week in Kentucky with my sister for trainings. I already feel a great fit with this group. Five of the participants also got tickets for Wicked for Wednesday night so we are all planning to take the “EL” into Chicago. Most of the day focused on the software, which was interesting and easy. Training ended at 4:30. A participant from Florida and I decided to walk around and look for dinner ideas. We decided on Viva le Crepe. It was a fantastic decision. I had Ratatouille Crepe with zucchini, tomatoes, broccoli, and herbs in a red sauce over the crepes. It was delicious. At home, we would probably have it with pasta, but with the crepe it was just the right amount and didn’t make me feel stuffed. So for dessert I had the fresh fruit crepe – blueberries, strawberries and raspberries on a warm crepe with liquor sauce. My friend had a Spinach and Ricotta crepe and a raspberry sorbet crepe. We were proud of ourselves for trying something different and having such a wonderful meal. Afterwards, we had a nice stroll back to our hotel where we prepared for presentations tomorrow.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Wicked! I cannot wait for tonight. Luckily the training went rather quickly today as we had breakout sessions for practice, and then presentations for most of the day. This is been great fun for me. All of the information for the program has come so easily to me. I already feel confident that I could do this training. This is a better fit for me than the previous professional development program I trained with earlier in the year. I am lucky that if I hear something and take notes on it, I pretty much know it. In addition, if I like the product, it’s so much easier to remember and process. I love and believe in the program – that makes such a difference. I cannot wait to practice on Sara. She will love it as she always wants to play games on the computer. She is going to devour it. It will also give me some practical experience with the materials. My presentation went well, and training ended at 4:30. The “Wicked Women” met in the lobby at 5:15 to ride the EL to Chicago. It was just like on ER, but I didn’t see any cute doctors on the platform. The ride to the theater district took about 40 minutes. It must be so convenient to have a transportation system like that. The cab ride would have cost $35.00 each way. Riding the EL cost $2.00! New Orleans should build an elevated system like Chicago to alleviate its traffic problems as they rebuild. We found the theater rather easily, and then ate a Chicago Dog at America’s dogs. It was a hot dog with relish, tomatoes, mustard, mayo and onions. Finally, it was time for the show to start. My seat was perfect; I could not have chosen a better seat. The play was amazing. My cheeks hurt from having this big mesmerized smile on my face for three hours! Having known all of the words to the songs but never seeing the play made it surreal to see the performance and how the scenes fit together to tell the story. I called my godchild during the play to let her listen to two of the songs. When it was over, I just wanted to Tivo it and start all over again. I cannot wait to see it again. Now when I listen to the songs, I can picture the scene vividly. The way home was an adventure because we had to make a transfer to a different line. But everyone was very friendly and helped us get on the right train. We were back at the hotel for midnight. This trip was a success, no matter what happens now.

6-22-07: Goodbye Robbi

Friday, June 22 was my last day working with Robbi because she is returning to the classroom. I am truly going to miss her so much. I understand her reasons for going back to teaching, but it is still sad. She, Teresa, and I have worked so hard together for the past three years to improve instruction and be someone the teachers could count on. We basically created the program manager position as far as what the duties would entail. We have been an amazing team - a unique working realtionship existed among us. We have had no arguments or misunderstandings in three years. We have trust in one another, which is unheard of in a business atmosphere. We have enjoyed an easy-going, fun, yet extremely hard-working chemistry together. We actually have fun despite how stressful and intense the work has been at times. Teresa and I are now in an office together, but it will never be the same without the third side to our triangle! I wish Robbi the very best because she deserves it. She is an amazing, intelligent, and beautiful woman, and I am extremely proud to call her my friend. I have learned so much from her, and it is a great loss to the parish and me personally. Patterson High and its students are extremely lucky.
We spent our last days together working on our High Schools That Work conference workshop that we will be presentating in July in New Orleans and enjoying lunch at various spots around the parish. It has been The Farewell Tour for the past few weeks. Friday, we had lunch at the Petroleum Club. We had a great time; we always do when we're together. This may be the end of Kenny's angels; but we will be friends forever.

Back to Reality

The trip home yesterday went well - good weather, no major traffic, 11 1/2 hours. When we arrived home, Keith washed the RV, Jeep and Camry - after driving all day! What a man! He amazes me.
It was back to reality today starting with our morning trip to Big River Cafe for lattes. As soon as I got to my office at 7:15 A.M., I was blasted with 8 messages on my phone (I do not like the phone) and 22 e-mails (even though I checked my email on vacation). It was a non-stop day of assessment analysis, corrective reading inventories and schedules, and let's not forget designing a new t-shirt and compiling sizes for 93 word millionaires. All in a day's work with no lunch! Am I having a good day? Well, not as good as my spa day Friday with Rose. What's that? My cellphone is playing "Sara Smiles." Saved by the song - Peggy has no one to pick up Sara today. My heart breaks to think she could be waiting with no one to get her. I rush to the rescue - good thing Grandma has a race car! Oh no - the car seat is in the jeep. Zip to the house for the car seat. I am in the car line in time to pick up my precious granddaughter saving her from feelings of abandonment. Now that makes for a great day!

Graduation Day

Today's the day! We had to have Rose at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee for 9:00 A.M. We were able to get great seats near the stage. The graduation was nice. It took about two hours for all of the graduates to get their moment on the stage. This is Central Florida so we heard names like Perez, Rodriquez, Espinosa, Ramirez, Carlos, Enrico, etc., but there was only one Thibodeaux! We yelled as loud as we could when they said Rose Anne Thibodeaux, and then her moment on the stage was over. Time for coffee and restroom breaks until the last graduate crossed the stage. Rose's boss, Donna, and Laurie, one of the lawyers from the firm, also attended the graduation to support Rose. We met up with them outside after the ceremony. It was very nice of them to spend their Saturday morning at Rose's graduation.
For dinner, we had reservations at Seasons 52 at Sand Lake. We had roses waiting on the table for our Rose. There was a nice view of the lake from our table, and the food was fabulous. The healthy menu changes seasonally based on the freshest ingredients. None of the dishes are over 425 calories, but they were exquisite gourmet meals. We had tomato and garlic flatbread for an appetizer. Rose and I then had a cup of steak and roasted onion soup while Keith had a Greek salad. For our entrees, Keith chose jumbo shrimp stuffed with crab meat, Rose enjoyed scallops, and I had roasted turkey skewers with pearl pasta. Yes, this all sounds delicious, but I haven't shared the best with you yet. Dessert comes out on a tray of shot glasses called mini indulgences. You choose what you want and savor each bite of dessert without the guilt. I had carrot cake and strawberry shortcake while Rose had key lime pie and strawberry mango cheesecake. And believe it or not, the man with willpower who never gets dessert chose his mini of red velvet cake.

Spa Day

May 4, 2007

To celebrate Rose's graduation, Rose and I spent the day at the Lakota Spa. We began the day with Swedish heat massages, then I spent a half hour on an amethyst tri-synergy mat while Rose got a new haircut. After a healthy lunch of pannani's and fruit, we each had a paraffin pedicure and oxygen therapy. It was a perfect mother-daughter day, which is exactly what Rose said she wanted. It was relaxing and fun, plus we were able to talk and catch up. We were pampered and polished all day. Rose's haircut looks very good. She's going to look great for her graduation tomorrow. We had hibachi Japanese at Kobe for dinner.

A Celebration of Rose

April 30, 2007

My daughter Rose is graduating from college in public relations on Saturday, May 5. She has been working full-time and going to school either at night or online. I am so proud of her dedication to completing her education, even though she has a good full time job at a women's law firm. Her dream is to work in public relations for a sports organization, especially in either Nascar or football. She has a knack for connecting with people instantly, so I know she will achieve her goals. We will be leaving Wednesday after work for Orlando and returning on Monday. Rose will be off Friday giving us a three day weekend to spend in celebration of her accomplishment.

Spring Break 2007

Wednesday, April 4, 2007 "Vacation Begins"
Keith and I left after work and drove to Montgomery, Alabama for the night. We stayed at The Woods RV. It was an easy in and easy out with a gas station at the entrance.

Thursday, April 5, 2007 "Stone Mountain"
Today we drove to Atlanta. We checked in around noon at Stone Mountain Campground. We had a great view of the lake from our site. It was cool in Atlanta, but comfortable – until we got to the top of Stone Mountain! It was freezing so we took a few pictures and took the lift down quickly. They had two men working on the carving, which really illustrated the vastness of the carving. The carving is of Jefferson Davis, Stonewall Jackson, and Robert E. Lee. They also have an old town called Crossroads and some antebellum homes at Stone Mountain. It was a nice afternoon and gave us something to do for this leg of the trip. Our campsite was right in front of the lake providing a scenic view.

Friday, April 6, 2007 "SNOW"
We arrived in Asheville around 2 P.M. We found Campfire Lodgings rather easily. It was a long, steep road to the very top of the mountain. We have an awesome view from our site. It is a perfect campground with many trails and a clean bathhouse. There’s a pond at the end of one of the trails for catch and release fishing. It is so peaceful and quiet. I loved the silence - all you could hear are the birds. After walking the trails, we drove around town, found a Starbucks, and went to Ingles, a grocery store. Keith lit a fire when we got back to the campground and warmed some Italian bread over the fire, which we enjoyed with seasoned olive oil (we’re fasting for Good Friday). Later that evening there was a knock on the door. The manager reminded us to unhook the water hose and said, “I apologize for the snow.” The WHAT! The SNOW! Yes, snow, the final and unexpected snow of the season. It was coming down hard. I could actually see the patterns of the snowflakes. Keith and I went out and took pictures. I am laughing because Keith does not like cold weather. I am not particularly fond of it either, but Keith never wants to go skiing or to Vermont for Christmas because he hates the cold. We went to sleep with the heat pump and then the furnace came on – that’s cold – we’ve never used the furnace. Spring break – yea right!

Saturday, April 7, 2007 "Fricking Freezing"
As soon as I woke up, I was anxious to look out to see if the snow was still on the ground. I opened the blinds and OH MY! It was everywhere, at least three inches of snow. It was just exquisite. I was thrilled to see everything covered with snow. I quickly dressed and went outside for more pictures. Jill was even into the snow. The snow was deeper than I thought, and my shoes were soaked. It was in Keith’s words “fricking freezing.” Yes, Keith Thibodeaux went on vacation in the snow. If you know Keith, that is so funny. He loves the summer and hates the cold. When it is cold at home, he says “Did I tell you I hate cold weather?” every day! Now he is planning next spring break’s vacation – in the Keys! No more trips north unless the month has only four letters in it!
After the sun came out, it warmed up a bit, so we went to eat lunch at Carraba’s and then made a trip to the Asheville Mall. I bought a new pair of shoes – waterproof with a thermal lining! We also went to Old Navy to buy some long sleeve shirts! Now we're ready for another night in the teens!
Sunday, April 8, 2007 "Beautiful"

Happy Easter! Today has been a beautiful day, and it is also the birthday of my beautiful niece Caroline. We went to Easter mass at St. Eugene Catholic Church. It was a very beautiful and special mass. It was 90 minutes long; yet, it did not seem to be long. The choir was wonderful; it was like listening to a concert. After mass, we went to Ingles for Starbucks. Why can't we have a Starbucks in a grocery store? That would be awesome. We decided to drive to downtown Asheville, but most of the shops and restaurants were closed for Easter. So now on to Plan B, we will take a drive to Black Mountain, a nearby town with arts and crafts. The drive was beautiful, but the town was also closed. Plan C: Let's have a picnic on our mountaintop. Back to Ingles for picnic ingredients. Our picnic was beautiful. Yes, beautiful describes the day. After the picnic, we hiked some of the trails at the campsite. It was a day to be thankful for all of God's blessings.

Monday, April 9, 2007 "Race Day"

Up early for Race Day. Let's see how many race shops we can see in one day! It took about two hours to get to our first stop - Everham Motorsports. Keith put on his Kasey Kahne hat, and we toured the shop. I asked where Kasey was and found out he was at the White House in Washington. I am sure that if he would have known that I would be there, he would have bailed on the President. Onward as we head to Mooresville to the Red Bull Shop. As we entered, I asked the receptionist if A.J. was there, knowing that he probably wasn't. I could believe she said yes; however, she also said she wasn't supposed to bother him. I politely told her that I had to get AJ to sign a car for my brother who was his biggest fan. She offered to have me leave the car and come back later for it. Of course, Keith looked at me and said, "You are going to leave your brother's car???" I knew I couldn't let it out of my sight. I took the car out of the protective box. which was obviously the right thing to do. When the receptionist saw the Formula I car, she said that AJ would love to see that. So she texted him telling us that he doesn't have any idea how many fans he already has. Suddenly, AJ appeared at the door. I was ecstatic because I knew my brother would be thrilled. AJ was a doll, so sweet and funny too. He signed Gerard's car and signed a Red Bull can for him too. I asked him if he would mind talking to him on the cellphone. He agreed, so I called Gerard. The phone kept ringing, and I was afraid he wouldn't answer. AJ said not to worry because he's leave a good message. Luckily, Gerard answered and I told him I had someone who wanted to talk to him. AJ got on the phone and Gerard was astounded! I could hear him on the phone saying, "Are you kidding me?" It just made our day. I was so happy that I could surprise him like that. I told AJ that we were now fans for life! It was great, but we had to move on if we were going to make more race shops. We found Michael Waltrip Raceworld next. It isn't officially open yet, but Keith put on his Waltrip hat to take his picture in front of the haulers for the Napa 55 car. Race shop 4 was Joe Gibbs Racing in Hunterville. This was a fantastic race shop with not only Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte's championship cups, but also memorabilia from Joe Gibbs football career with the Washington Redskins. We bought some Tony stuff for Sara and Keith bought a Tony hat for his picture in front of the Joe Gibbs Racing sign. Now it's down the road to Charlotte for a quick trip to Lowe's Motor Speedway and then Hendricks Race Shop despite Keith's objections. I had to get pictures for my son who loves Jeff Gordon. Keith refused to take a picture at Hendricks. He wore his Kenseth hat though for the next shop, Roush Fenway Racing. Matt Kenseth #17 is one of Keith's favorite drivers, so he was happy again at this race shop. Race shop 7 was the nearby Ganessi Racing with Juan Pablo Montoya's car. Next stop was Haas Racing, where I was determined to see my favorite crew chief, Bootie Barker. Even though we first were told that he may have left, he showed up to meet us in the display lobby. He was adorable and happy to know he had fans from his foray into television. Bootie gave us directions to DEI, where I had to be sure that Dale Earnhart Sr. wasn't in any of our pictures. Dad hated Dale Senior, but I do like Junior. If we hurry, we can make it to Robert Yates Racing before it closes. There we meet Robert Yates himself and are able to see some Davy Allison memorabilia, which my dad will love. It's almost 5:00 now, but I tell Keith we may still be able to make Penske Racing. I am grateful we did because this was by far the best race shop for fans. The shop had a 150 feet raised walkway to view the crews working on Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch's cars. Keith talked to the shop foreman who told us about a barbecue restaurant near called Lancasters. Visiting 11 race shops in one day does not leave time for eating, so we were famished. Lancaster's was good and also had a racing theme to top the day off. Back to the RV in Asheville after a Nascar-filled day.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007 "Happy Anniversary"

Today is our 11th anniversary. We spent the entire day at the Biltmore Estate, the home of George W. Vanderbilt which he officially opened on Christmas Eve in 1895. The largest private residence in America, it's been open to the public since 1930. The Biltmore 250-room mansion has 65 fireplaces, 3 kitchens,43 bathrooms, a bowling alley,and an indoor swimming pool. It is surrounded by a 100,000 acre forest, a 250 acre wooded park, and five gardens. George Vanderbilt's original dairy was transformed into America's most visited winery in 1985. The entire estate is magnificent, opulent, and extensive. The weather was perfect sunny and cool. We began our day in the gardens and conservatory. The late April snow did have an upon the gardens, but the tulips were still phenomenal. After walking trough the gardens, we took a drive throughout the estate stopping at some of the lakes on our way to the Farm Village. The village gives you a view of a farm in 1900 with antique farm equipment and blacksmith, looming, and butter churning demonstrations. There is also a hands-on farmyard with horses, chickens, hens, lambs, and cows. After playing with the animals, it was time to visit the winery. We enjoyed a fabulous anniversary dinner at the Winery Bistro before taking a tour of how the wine is made and stored. We then arrived for the wine-tasting. You enter this room with many bars in which they lead small groups to one of the bars and your own bartender. The bartender is well-versed in wine. This was perfect for me because based on your likes or dislikes, she makes suggestions on wines you would like. We were each able to taste eight different kinds of wine to determine our favorites. Of course the wine-tasting room leads directly into the wine shop. After purchasing our favorite wines, we headed to the actual Biltmore House tour. The house was lavishly decorated for the Spring Festival of Flowers. It was exquisite. It just amazes me how vast and luxurious the house is for the time period. I cannot imagine living in a four acre home. I know that I would be lost on a daily basis. Of course, I could handle the servants with no problem. After spending some time in the shops at Biltmore, we returned to our mountaintop. It was a perfect anniversary day.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007 "Sick day"

After the amazing race shop day and the Biltmore day, we were both exhausted. Keith was also not feeling well from his snow weekend! In addition, the weather was horrible as it rained all day. Thus, we stayed on the mountaintop reading, watching movies, and resting all day. Jack and Jill were happy to spend the entire day with us.

Thursday, April 12, 2007 "Sara Fay"

Since Patrick, Peggy, and Sara were also on vacation in nearby Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, we drove to their cabin to spend the day with them and Peggy's cousin BJ and family. Sara was surprised to see us at her "new" house. :) We decided to take everyone horseback riding. Sara rode with me and did an excellent job of steering Parthena in the right direction. The ride was beautiful until we reached a rather rocky and muddy trail. Patrick's horse stumbled and off he went into the mud. He was very lucky that there was room for him to fall as much of the trail consisted of small ledges. He got right back on to continue his ride full of mud and bruises. After returning to the cabin for him to change, we went to the Apple Barn, a restaurant and shops complex to eat a late lunch and tour the shops before heading back to Asheville.

Friday, April 13, 2007 "The long way home!"

Keith was still suffering with his cold, so he was determined to make it home in one day. He drove all day, and we make it back home by 8 PM that night. It was a long day, but we were both happy to have the entire weekend to recoup before work began again on Monday.