The Sanborns » Personal

Bonus Vacation Footage

Becca — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:00:59 +0000

So it turns out I took some videos on our anniversary trip and here they are in one post, sorry for any repeats!

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Post tags: anniversary, smoky mountains, vacation

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4th Anniversary Vacation Recap: Day 2-1/2 (Dollywood)

Becca — Sun, 20 May 2012 20:47:09 +0000

Sorry for the delay in the Dollywood recap, I tend to be on the ball, only to drop it again. What can I say, I’m lazy.

So, on Saturday morning after our Cades Cove trip, we decided to eat lunch (at the Smoky Junction restaurant in Townsend) and then dropped back by the cabin before driving to Pigeon Forge.

It took about a hour to do all that and park and then we had to wait on a tram to take us to the park entrance. Because we had bought season passes, we had vouchers and went inside the park to the guest services building to claim our passes. This took another 45 minutes so it was close to two in the afternoon before we did anything else.

The first ride we went on was Blazing Fury, an old favorite of mine. It was… not what I remember at all and Gray was not impressed. Next up was the Tennessee Twister ride, which he has deemed his favorite.

We managed to ride most of the rides in the park in a short six hours because we invested in their Q2Q system. Basically, you pay $15 per person for a little electronic device that “saves” your spot on a ride. Once you’ve “waited” the appropriate time (it’s similar to a fast pass at Disney World), you can go and take the special queue for Q2Q devices to ride. If the ride time was at three but you don’t get there until a quarter after, no big deal, it holds your spot until you either go and claim it or until the end of the day when it expires. Up to six people can be on one bot and the sixth person is free, so it’d be great to chip in on one with a group of people and save a little money.

Because we paid for the Q2Q, we rode all the major rides (minus two water rides because it wasn’t hot enough) and several of them we rode a couple of times. The longest wait we had for a ride using this system was 15 minutes and that was because the Wild Eagle is so new, it opened a few months ago.

So I’d definitely recommend this system if you want the most for your money because it will save you so much time that you can spend eating or resting.

As for the rides, my new favorite is Wild Eagle. I’ve never been on a roller coaster with such a smooth ride. I never felt jostled or sick and I would have gone again but by the time we chose to go again, the line was too long.

My least favorite ride was a new mine ride, I think Mystery Mine? It was awful, the first thing that happens is you get thrown side to side and it basically boxed my ears, leading to a headache. We were thrown this and that way and at some point, we were upside down… for more than a loop… it was so strange. Definitely not my favorite at all.

We were debating upgrading to a gold pass and we really should have done it to save… $8 parking is free with gold, you get 20% off all food, AND we could have gotten a discount on the Q2Q. The first day alone would have saved us about $15 and the price to upgrade is $40, so we might upgrade if we’re going back a lot later this summer.

The food at Dollywood is super expensive. My best advice is to get a water pack for hiking and take it with you. We filled up once while we were there and it lasted forever, plus it was a great place to store cell phones and other vitals.

Here are some pictures… ask any questions you’d like!

Bonus videos:

P.S. – Here is one that cracks me up…

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Post tags: anniversary, dollywood, marriage, smoky mountains

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Cheekwood 2012

Becca — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:00:54 +0000

A week or two ago, I saw a coupon for National Garden Day. Since it was free, we decided to check it out. Thankfully, I checked on the coupon Friday morning and we realized the tickets were for that day and were able to go!

The only garden in Nashville participating was Cheekwood. We’ve been to Cheekwood once before, for the Chihuly exhibit so Friday was a much shorter visit.

I think the pictures speak for themselves.

I love finding free things to do, especially now that certainly can’t pay to go out on dates. I am looking forward to the summer because there are so many free things to do for fun in Nashville!

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Post tags: cheekwood, day date, free, gardens, Nashville, photos

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4th Anniversary Vacation Recap: Day Two

Becca — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:00:05 +0000

Saturday the 5th of May, I awoke in our cabin after a pretty restless night of sleep. It turns out that a hot tub is a necessity when you mangle your body’s muscles on a hike. The light outside seemed darker than usual, so I checked the weather and sure enough, it was going to storm and looked pretty severe.

After some debate, we chose to go to Cades Cove that morning, figuring that maybe by the afternoon it would not be raining and we could proceed to Dollywood.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before, but Cades Cove is a pretty big deal for me because my relatives lived there. After some research, we found out that the Cables that lived in the Cove are my cousins, far removed. My great grandfather x 10 was Conrad Cable and his grand or great grand kids are the ones that lived in the Cove. We’re from different lines because I’m from a different kid. Anywho, the rain stopped and we were able to get some great pictures.

Right about here is where I realized the battery was dying and I had forgotten the extra at home. I was able to be very quick with taking the pictures I wanted. While we stopped at the mill they were having Old Timers Day. Basically, people come back to talk about their dead relatives. You are welcome to click through the above pictures and see a ton I took of the graveyard and some information setup. I’m going to do a third post about Dollywood because I want to give some tips and reviews.

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Post tags: anniversary, cades cove, gatlinburg, marriage, smoky mountains

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Happy 4th Anniversary

Becca — Fri, 11 May 2012 01:11:46 +0000

Four years ago, we got dressed in some fancy clothes to take picture.

We were surrounded by family and friends.

Some of my favorite people were there to support me on one of the happiest days of my life.

Gray was surrounded by his family and friends as well.

We loved every minute of our wedding.

Even those moments that didn’t go as well.

Like almost lighting the church on fire, oops.

Those moments make for the best stories.

Moments that I recall with tears, knowing I was bawling, I’m very emotional!

I enjoyed every minute.

I’m so lucky I was able to share this with my friends, family, and of course, him… love you Gray.

Happy 4th Anniversary to my partner for life, the man who knows me better than I know myself.

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Post tags: anniversary, marriage, Our Wedding

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4th Anniversary Vacation Recap: Day One

Becca — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:10:36 +0000

Back in January, I approached Gray with an idea for our anniversary. We knew that his family would probably go to the Smoky mountains in the summer (it’s an annual tradition!), but we had not been in two years and there really is no such thing as too many mountains, especially because we’d have the chance to do our own thing.

So I researched cabins, and we chose the same ones our family stays in because they had the best deal and were away from the main hub of traffic. If you know Townsend, TN at all, they are off Wears Valley road, about 4 miles from Townsend.

So I booked us the cabin and paid our deposit and then we waited a while. At some point, I realized Dollywood tickets would go up in price, and since we had already saved several hundred for vacation at that point, I just went ahead and purchased the season passes, I think this was back in March.

Fast forward to two weeks ago, Gray suddenly was without a job and we questioned going forward with the vacation. In the end, we knew we’d already spent about $500 in booking the cabin (fully paid for at this point) and paying for the season passes. I figured we’d need about $200 for the trip and we had over $500 in a vacation savings account, and decided we needed this vacation.

I’m so grateful we took this time for ourselves and it ended up being really great, so here’s some details.

Friday morning we got up and left the house by 8:00 central dst. After a quick stop for breakfast, we were on our way and I got the chance to capture this picture.

Normally the drive to East Tennessee feels like the longest drive ever (aside from the Southern Georgia drive), but this time it was super fast. It could be that we were going on our pace (we’ve never driven this way ourselves before) or perhaps that I was reading a book. Either way, the hours flew by and then we could see the mountains in the distance.

We had three hours before check-in, so the decision was made to go hiking and see Cades Cove, but first we stopped at Wings R Us, a favorite of ours from two summers ago.

After lunch, it was time to head into the park. I couldn’t remember where the Chimney Tops were and without cell phone reception, we decided to head to the visitor’s center near Gatlinburg. This turned out to be a good idea because the Chimney Tops were just a few more miles down a different road and so all was saved.

Gray inquired about the trail and we were told it would take about 3 hours round trip. AHA HA HA HA.

We found the trailhead pretty easily, and began to the journey. The first mile up wasn’t really rocky, but it was a hill and both of us were out of shape. Gray kept trying to convince me to turn back, but I pretty much refused. Ah, the Irish stubbornness…

By the time we were halfway up, we began to realize this trail was not at all mild.

At this point, the trail was very steep and there were rocks EVERYWHERE. Like, 3/4ths of the second mile looked like a very steep creek bed, it’s a wonder neither of us sprained an ankle.

At some point we reached a path where the rocks went away, but the steepness prevailed. After a few passerbys encouraged us, we finally began to see the trail leveling off, and then we got to this:

Some other hikers had told us to go past the sign that says don’t pass, and follow the trail around to the right side of the mountain. Well, we did that until we came to realize it would involve scaling the side of the mountain. So we went back to the previous rocks of doom, and began to climb.

Now, I’m not necessarily scared of heights, but I am terrified of falling, so you can imagine I got about halfway up and began to freak out. At one point Gray said, “You stubborn woman.” heh

I would have taken pictures with the cell phone, but I was too terrified to not cling to the mountain with all my strength. At some points, I literally crawled because I was terrified. Yet, we made it to the top.

I love this picture of me, because at this point I was so exhausted and we were out of water and all I could think of was why there isn’t a super magical slide to the bottom and why do I have to walk all the way back down?

For the trip down, we ended up going down that original path, and it turned out really easy and we began to question why we didn’t just stick with it the first time. Oh well.

It was about 1-1/2 hours to get back down again and we were so so so thrilled.

I drove us most of the way to the cabin, until the other cyclists began to get angry at me for driving slow around the cliffs.

Now, up until this point, I did not have a grade for med-surg yet. Once we reached Townsend, I checked my grades and discovered not only had I passed my paper, but kicked butt and made an A. I called my mom and told her right before we lost reception and then I called Gray’s mom when we were on our way to get groceries. Both of them I think were more thrilled than me!

It was close to midnight eastern dst before we settled into bed. We had to go back to Maryville to find an open grocery store and then we chose to eat pizza and relax a bit before bedtime. The cabin was splendid, but tired muscles require a hottub, which we skipped that first night, big mistake!

Stay tuned for day two… where I woke up to severe thunderstorms and a mad vengeance at the weatherman.

P.S. – If you want to see more pictures, click through above, there is a whole album!

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Post tags: anniversary, hiking, marriage, smoky mountains

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What happened on Monday

Becca — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:29:05 +0000

When it rains, it pours.

Monday I came home after class to find out Gray lost his job. He’d only been there a few months, but we thought he was past the 3-month mark and good to go. Apparently not.

I had my Pharm Hesi on Tuesday which I did better on that I thought I would, so that was some slight encouragement in the middle of chaos. I could use some serious prayers for this final on Monday. I’m studying today with a group and I’ll study all weekend, but let’s face it, I’m tired of school and the thought of studying for three days is awful, but it’s made worse by the fact that I won’t know my paper grade going into the final, so that gives me little motivation to study. So pray I will have motivation.

Gray has been very busy this week with meetings, an interview, and errands. We were excited for a date night that had been planned out (and paid for) in advance, for the Adventure Science Center in Nashville. Thursday night I was busy proclaiming this in twitter when I found out that it was actually THURSDAY night, not Saturday. So I’m pretty bummed about missing it and the wasted money. Totally not my week.

So here is where I am signing off until my final is done. I’m going to try to have the project 365 post up on Monday, but I may forget, my brain is spastic these days.

The only thing we “need” now is prayer and good thoughts. I know I am praying for the right job to be provided for Gray and for us to trust that God will provide. He always does.

© Becca for The Sanborns, 2012. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: finals, job hutning, Nursing School

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As the end draws near…

Becca — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:00:56 +0000

My life is a little chaotic. In less than two weeks I will be done and so there is some work to accomplish. I have a portfolio, a Hesi, and a final to take and my grade is pushing it on passing, meaning that I have my work cut out for me. I am up for the challenge, but really need thoughts and prayers as I finish. All I can say is that no matter what happens, I will be okay and life will go on, regardless of whether I am in 4th semester or if I’m out of nursing school.

I’m excited for today because it means I get to spend some time with one of my favorite people on this earth. She is a wonderful and happy person and I’ve blogged about her in the past, when we went to her wedding and when the tsunami struck Japan. She’s one of my dearest and closest friends so it’s an understatement that I am excited to see her today!

I’m going to try and keep a normal level of posting but please understand if I go awol until I’m done for the semester.

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Project 365: Week 15

Becca — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:00:22 +0000

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Happy 25th Birthday, Gray!

Becca — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:21:40 +0000

Today is a very special day because my husband is now 25. When we first met he was a mere 18 years old, my how time flies. I was actually just doing the math the other day and seven years… dang, amiright?

The majority of the most important people in my life have all been around for at least seven years and I count that as a blessing after years of searching for true friendship.

So yeah, this fellow here is now a quarter of a century old.

We celebrated his birthday this past Friday by going to dinner at Chuy’s, his choice after we realized the NCAA tournament made getting to Big River in downtown Nashville pretty much impossible. We ended the night by getting cheesecake to go from The Cheesecake Factory. Gray and I love our cheesecake! We, however, dislike bad parkers. Tsk, tsk.

I’ve been meaning to post more about how we met and all that jazz, and I will get around to it soon, but first I’ll tell you about the first time I ever saw him.

I was a junior in college and he was a freshman. I was co-leading a freshman bible study and we were meeting in the nursing building (how is that for foreshadowing?!) and when he was placed in my group that day, I immediately had a thought cross my mind.

“I am going to marry that man someday.”

You may think I’m crazy, but um, it did happen.

This holds significance to me because my mama had told me a story of the first time she ever saw my daddy. She was visiting her cousin’s house and that happen to be my daddy’s sister and brother-in-law (mama’s cousin). My mama somehow came across my daddy sleeping and thought to herself, “That’s the man I’m going to marry.”

I always held that story in the back of my mind and when I thought that same thing to myself that night I told God, “But… he’s a freshman?!” I really wish I would have journaled those thoughts, because to me they were clear as day.

Turns out, he was the man I was meant to marry. I’m forever thankful for him.

Happy Birthday, Gray.

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The Sanborns » Personal

Bonus Vacation Footage

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