We spent our weekend in Pigeon Forge, TN with Brent's parents, his sister and his sister's boyfriend, John. It was basically just a little family getaway before the baby arrives and we had a really good time hanging out with everyone.
We went to Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede Dinner Show on Friday night which is...well, it's an experience. One of those, just embrace your surroundings type experiences. It was entertaining, but very country and totally "Dolly".
Saturday, I must say, was my favorite part of the weekend. We did a little shopping at the outlet stores and then I was treated by my mother-in-law to a prenatal massage. It was lovely. (Seriously, it should be a requirement for all pregnant women. I think weekly massages would do it.) While we were getting pampered, the others were supposed to be ziplining, but it unfortunately got rained out. Sorry guys, should have gone the lazy route like this lady.
Before we headed home this afternoon, we took a trip to Clingman's Dome. At 6,643 feet, it is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We drove to the trail which was only 1/2 mile in length, but was deceivingly steep. The hike was listed as "easy" which why this pregnant lady was willing to partake (also because the online description listed the presence of restrooms) , but trust me, it was more effort than expected. I'm pretty sure I should have been cleared by my doctor beforehand. Oops.
Climbing up the trail was quite amusing. I seemed to stand out to others, but it also seemed to motivate people. You could see that "hey, if that pregnant chick is still going then so can I" look on their faces. Quite funny. When we made it to the observation tower one couple even said, "Oh, she made it!" Glad I had others invested in my journey.
Here are the photos we took along the way. (And yes, we took most of these as an excuse to pause the walking efforts.)
Until next time...
