Wednesday, June 26, 2013

The Trip...Stage One!

     When Jim and I decided to go to Disney, we decided that we would surprise Delainey and Bryce (my nephew) with the destination.  We let them think we were going to Marco Island, FL...going as far as picking out a condo to show them.  We also decided that we would break the drive there into shorter trips since we weren't sure how the kids would travel together.  Jim was in charge of the pre and post Disney events.  My only qualification is that I needed to spend at least a day by the ocean.

     Jim planned our first stop in Chattanooga, TN.  We both looked at things to do there...the top three were Ruby Falls, Rock City, and the Incline Railway.  After much debate, research, and Facebook opinion polls, we decided to go to Ruby Falls and Rock City.  Ruby Falls was beautiful, but it was a struggle for me.  I don't like being in enclosed spaces...an underground waterfall is pretty enclosed, but it was well worth my stress!  The guide that we had was great...she made everyone laugh, kept us moving, and was very informative.  The waterfall is amazing as is the journey to get there!

D and Bryce looking at the Fall.

     After we left Ruby Falls, we went to Rock City.  I had no clue what Rock City was, even after all my research.  We walked through various rock formations, garden areas, and even over a suspension bridge.  There were some cheesy areas that were fun...sculptures painted and lite up with black lights, lots of gnomes that freaked Bryce out, and fairy tale scenes that Delainey loved.  There is a spot that you can see 7 different states, although I am not sure how you can tell.  We enjoyed the trip, but since we go on hikes whenever possible, it wasn't something "special" to us.  I am glad that we did it, but don't need to do it again.

Getting ready to head into "Fat Mans Squeeze

     We left early Saturday morning with nothing planned except making it to Ocala, FL for the night.  It was a long drive, with construction traffic in Atlanta.  The kids were troopers.  When we made it to Ocala, we checked in, had a great bbq dinner, and then went swimming.  Jim took the kids down to swim while I got things ready for the the reveal.  It was hard to contain my excitement while the kids showered and got ready for bed.  We told them we had some news for them...I gave them a postcard from Mickey Mouse.  He told the kids that he couldn't wait to see them.  It took a minute for everything to sink in, but when it did, there were screams!  It was a great moment for Jim and I!
That says it all!

1 comment:

City Homemade said...

Loved this! We did Rock City and Ruby Falls as well and we agreed, it was great to see it but I don't need to again. Loved the look on the kids faces! Can't wait to read more!