Arkansas Thanksgiving

 It was so fun to spend time with my brother and his family.  The three girls graced us with a Thanksgiving show.  It's so fun to see their creativity in their performances and thoughtful gifts.  We found out what name they are thinking of for baby boy expected in January.  It was Thanksgiving, so of course the food was fabulous.  We enjoyed playing games, and it was just good to hang out with family!

Great Smoky Mountains

Gatlinburg is a pretty fun little town.  We walked around in the evening after enjoying barbeque for dinner.  The picture in the bottom right is James standing next to a "Save a horse, ride a cowboy" display.  Very funny! 

In the morning we decided to visit the aquarium and enjoy the fish.   There was some pretty cool stuff.  We particularly enjoyed the shark tank.

In the afternoon we took a drive through the Great Smoky mountains.  We hiked to Clingmans Dome, which is 6643 Ft, and the highest location in Tennessee.  We also hiked to three different waterfalls.

Another highlight of the day was a quick trip into Alabama.  I can now say that I have been to 48 states!  (Plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.)

Roadtrip

James and I took the entire week of Thanksgiving off of work.  We drove to Arkansas to visit my brother and their family for the holiday.

On the way, we took a few stops.  We spent the Monday morning in Fredericksburg with a preliminary court appointment.  Our next court date will be Feb 22 to try to get more time with the children.  While still in Virginia, we stopped at "Foamhedge".  Yes, it's a replica of Stonehedge, but made with foam, instead of stone!  

Another Wedding

Can you tell that Russ and Kaela met swing dancing?  They had swing dance lessons and a live swing band at their wedding reception.  I think Kaela was saying "so good!" as she was eating her rice krispie wedding cake.  It's so wonderful to be able to celebrate good friends getting married.

Mr. and Mrs. Loo

I'm so happy for Debbie and Tom.  We are so glad that we were able to be with them as they started their together family!  I've known both the bride and the groom for most of my time here in DC, and they both have been looking forward for this day for a long time!