Home Sweet Home

It's 7AM, and I'm sitting on my patio.  MY patio.  Listening to the birds chirp, and taking in the sweet bliss of peace and quiet.  Except for the birds, anyway.  The kids are all still in bed, and probably will be for a while.  I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing up at this time, especially after just getting back from an exhausting vacation, but I have to admit I'm happy to be here.  Right here.  In my spot.  Getting my short amount of "me time" before the day gets started.

We made it home around 8 last night.  We checked out of the motel at 9AM, and then spent the day at Silver Dollar City before coming home.  I didn't get a chance to blog because the kids were excited to get up and going.

The day before, we spent the day exploring Branson's shopping hot spots.  We visited Tanger Outlets and the kids spent some of their money that P-Momma gave them to buy a few things.  Jelly managed to talk me in to buying her even MORE stuffed animals at the Disney Store.  But, I couldn't resist.  That was one store that was sooooo much cheaper than the regular store.  She picked out a Sleeping Beauty plush doll, originally $19.99 for $6, and a plush Piglet for the same price.  She even got a new Princess tote to carry her stuff around in. Peanut got a new tank shirt, regularly $29.99 for $10.  At Rue 21, Butter found a new pair of shorts and a shirt, Peanut found a new pair of jeans and a shirt, and I only spent $36.  Not too bad at all.  My only purchases at the outlet was a pair of New York & Company aviator sunglasses, regularly $29.99 on sale for $5, and a few lotions and body sprays we picked up at Bath & Body Works and Perfumania.  I would NEVER spend $30 on a pair of sunglasses, but I will sure spend $5 on a pair. HA!  

After we spent about 3 hours at the Outlet, we decided to go back to the motel for a short break.  That ended up turning in to a 2 hour nap for EVERYONE.  We woke up around 4PM, got ourselves freshened up, and decided to go grab our free pizzas for dinner.  (The package we bought from the motel included two free pizzas.)  We took our time eating our pizza and then decided to head over to Branson Landing for some more shopping.  The weather was perfect for walking around.  We visited Bass Pro Shops, and then explored some of the stores located at the Landing.  We spent about 2 hours just walking around and digging through some of the stuff that was on sale.  

                                  

                                   

We were all done around 8PM, but due to our nap earlier, we weren't really ready to call it a night.  We decided to drive up the strip and take a look at what was going on.  From all the attractions that Branson has to offer, we had a lot to choose from.  But, the kids eventually decided that they wanted to go to the Hollywood Wax Museum.  Thanks to our Silver Dollar City passes, we got a great discount.  We were able to pick three attractions for the price of two, so we opted for the museum, the haunted castle, and the maze of mirrors.  

The wax museum was good.  The kids had a blast getting their pictures taken with some of their favorite celebrities...

                       

                                    

                                    

                                    

Once we got enough of the museum, we headed on over to the haunted castle.  Now this was one attraction I'd never done before, and the kids LOVED it.  It was a 5D interactive ride through a short horror movie.  We had to shoot at zombies that were hurling stuff at us, watch and feel creepy bugs and bats flying around (thanks to seats that moved and air blowing out on to our necks), and be spun around on a revolving floor that whipped us from one scene to the next.  After that experience, I'm wondering why all movies aren't made in 5D.  I'd see just about every movie there is in a 5D theater! You could feel, see, and smell what was going on, and I couldn't help but scream several times when it looked as though a dagger or a ball of fire was being thrown straight at me.  And there's nothing like the smell of rotting carcasses to add to the effect of zombies coming straight for us.

The kids loved it so much, we just had to do it again. And we did.  With Butter being the winner of the zombie shoot out during both rides.  

When we had our fill of zombies and ghosts, we headed on up to the maze of mirrors.  Now, Peanut, Butter, and I really enjoyed getting lost in the mirrors.  Jelly?  Not so much.  It was royally ticking her off, and giving her a little anxiety that we seemed to be going round in circles.  It didn't help when fairy tale characters kept popping up inside a mirror to give us some direction...

                                   

                                   

                                   

The girl can handle crazy thrill rides, zombies, and ghosts, but have her look in to a mirror that suddenly turns in to a wizard reflection.. and THAT freaks her out.  Peanut managed to find the exit for us, just in time.  I think Jelly would have had a full blown panic attack if we'd been in there more than a few more minutes.

After all that fun, we decided to call it a night.  It was back to the motel for our last night.

After checking out and grabbing a quick breakfast at McDonald's the next morning, we went for our last day at Silver Dollar City.  And, out of the previous times we went, yesterday was the busiest.  There were TONS of people there, so the kids wanted to head straight to the ONLY ride they had yet to get on:  PowderKeg.

It's a roller-coaster that starts you off going from 0-60MPH in 2.8 seconds.  Jelly and I watched as Peanut and Butter tried it out. 

                                       

                            

Being that it was so fast and so high, I really didn't think it was something that Jelly should get on.  At least without me trying it out, first.  But, I didn't get that chance.  After standing there and watching the ride for a while, Jelly quickly caught on that there were kids her size riding.. and SHE WANTED ON!  So, as soon as Peanut and Butter were finished, we were back in line to let Jelly have a go.  My stomach turned the whole time we were waiting, and even more so when we got on.  We zipped off at 60MPH, rushed over hills and around sharp turns, and that little girl let out whoops of glee and excitement.  She loved it so much that she was begging me to do it again before we even got off the first time.  So, it was back in line for ride number 2.  And, again, she laughed and cheered all the way through.  Crazy girl.

I have to admit, that by day 3, I wasn't near as nervous about getting on the big roller-coasters as I'd been on the first day.  I actually really enjoyed it.  We spent several hours hopping off of one ride and straight on to the next, but we were ready to call it a day around 4PM.

After stopping for drinks, then again for dinner, it took us a lot longer to get home.. but I was so glad when we finally pulled in to our driveway.  We unpacked, and the kids went straight to bed.  I made my way to bed around 11PM, and I was so happy to be back in my own bed.

The kids have all made me promise that we do NOTHING today.  We're not allowed to go anywhere or do anything more than do some laundry and swim.  And that sounds like a great plan to me.  Nothing like a short vacation to rest up after a vacation.  Right?

I am so happy I got to give my kids a little mini-adventure.  It's not very often we get to go away and do stuff like that, and I don't mind that I spent every penny of my summer school money making their few days away the best it could be.  

And, we still have plenty of summer left to fill with more fun activities.

Day Two Vacation Adventure Continues

Travelog...Day Two...

We started out waking up bright and early so that we could head over to eat breakfast and pick up our tickets for the shows.  The breakfast buffet was AH-MAZING.  The usual breakfast fixings like bacon, sausage, biscuits, gravy, etc., but also TONS of other stuff like cheesy hashbrowns, an omelet station, pastry station, cereal bar, and waffles and pancakes.  Very similar to a Golden Corral Breakfast, really.  

And, I'm sure it's going to do wonders for the Project: Outlaw Run that I plan on getting in to.  That will, you know, help me lose enough weight by the end of the season so that I can get on that ride.  I only have about an inch to lose from around my waist.. so should probably avoid all the buffet places.  But, it is vacation, and I'll get down and serious as soon as I get home (famous last words).

After breakfast, we picked up our show tickets and headed to the first show of the day:  Amazing Pets.  It was a cute show with trained dogs, house cats, and even a couple of giant parrots.  Peanut even got her first taste of being on stage during a Branson show when she was picked to participate in a short skit.  She, along with three other children, performed a cute little song and dance on stage.  I'm proud of her for being silly, and I captured the whole thing on video.  She had a good time participating, and all the kids had a great time watching.  We weren't allowed to take any photos when the animals were on stage, but I was allowed to record Peanut and take some photos of the little fun skits performed during acts.  When I get home, and have better internet service, I'll upload more photos of the entire trip, and the video of Peanut performing.  She's the one in the blue, and it was hard to get a great picture because of all the lights.

                                 

After the show, we decided to cash in our coupon for a free game of miniature golf.  The resort has a new golf course:  Black Light Miniature golf.  It was very cool.  The entire place was lit up with black lights and reflective decor.  The only way we could really see each other was by our clothes lighting up.  

Once golf was over, we spent an hour or so playing at The Fun Spot, which is basically an arcade of games that give out tickets as prizes.  We had fun, and the kids won some little prizes to take away.

The afternoon was spent watching another show:  Comedy Jubilee.  Now, this show was great.  I was kind of worried about it, at first, because I really thought it was going to be silly and more for the kids.  But, I was wrong.  The kids had a great time, but I laughed so hard I cried.  The performers were HYSTERICAL and kept everyone very entertained.  The Branson Trio also performed several songs, and it was laughter and music for two hours straight.  Even though the pet show was cute, it was nothing compared to how much fun we had during the comedy show.  Even Jelly laughed her butt off at some of the entertainers.  She especially enjoyed the Emcee, Apple Jack, and was lucky enough to get a picture with him during intermission.  

                                     

Once the show was over, it was dinner time.  So, we hoped on over to the pizza place, located on site, and enjoyed some pizza.  After dinner, it was back to the hotel room for a break and then we decided to go back to the water park for a while.  

At 10PM, the kids and I went back over to the arcade for a party that was being thrown for all the kids.  They had free cake, popcorn, and music and we played games until 11PM.  That's when they had a giant balloon drop for the kids to win prizes and stuff.  My kids didn't make it out with any free prizes, but they all seemed to have a good enough time playing the games and earning tickets so they could pick their own prizes.  

By the time we got back to the room, the kids were all exhausted and went straight to sleep.  I made my way there after a while, and slept much better than the night before.  

I was awoken this morning by a loud crash of thunder.  It made me jump out of bed because I realized we'd left all the swimming stuff outside on the balcony.  I discovered half of our stuff still hanging up, but the rest I had to track down due to it being blown over the rails to the downstairs level.  

It figures that TODAY is the day it's going to rain.  We spent all day inside, yesterday, while the sun was shining.  Today, we're supposed to go do some exploring at Branson Landing (outside) and Historic Downtown (outside).  We're hoping the rain will push out while we eat breakfast and head on over to Tanger Outlet Mall.  Hoping.  If not, then we'll get a little wet, I suppose.

But, more about that tomorrow.  We're staying an extra night... so there will be plenty more to talk about in the morning.

Have a great Tuesday!

Day One of Our Vacation Adventure

Travelog...Day One...

We arrived at Silver Dollar City around 9:30AM.  The weather forecast, for the past several days, had told me that it was going to be a HOT one.  The temperature was supposed to top out around 94 degrees.  But, thankfully, once again the weather forecast was wrong and I'd be surprised if the temps even made it in to the upper 80s.  It stayed cloudy all day, and there were even a few sprinkles of rain here and there.

As soon as we got to the park, the kids wanted to head straight for the new roller-coaster we didn't get to ride on Wednesday:  Outlaw Run.  I stayed behind with Jelly and said a quick prayer before Peanut and Butter jumped aboard, as I looked up at the 162 feet of track they started chugging up, to be plummeted down on the other side, at an 81 degree angle going 68MPH.  They went up, they came down, and when they got off the ride Peanut INSISTED that I ride it with her.  Told me I'd love it, and just HAD to try it.  So, I went and got back in line with her while Butter and Jelly stood watch.  

When it was our turn to get in to the car, I jumped in and started to get buckled.  But, there was a problem. The seatbelt that first straps you in wouldn't go around my waist.  Now, I'm a good sized gal, but I have NEVER been on a roller-coaster, or any ride for that matter, in which I was too fat to ride.  NEVER.  And, even though I've gained a few pounds in the past few months, I still didn't consider myself too big to ride on anything.  But, apparently, my prayers were answered with the Big Man, and I wasn't getting on this ride.  

But the minute I had to walk away, not being able to ride, I started to get that urge to want to ride.  Isn't that the way it goes?  I was a little angry that I couldn't.  Angry at myself for being too big, angry at the park for limiting the constraints to not allow someone of my size (which is not exactly ginormous) to get on.  And, the whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth and made me start questioning my ability to get on other rides with my kids.  I mean, I knew I could get on the other rides.. I rode them only 4 days ago (and I've even lost 3lbs since then) but just the whole thing with being "too fat" to ride on something made me question each ride's ability to hold my weight.  A nasty blow to my self-esteem, but also a nasty blow to the realization that I really need to start losing weight.

Anywho, I let the situation go, and we moved on to the next ride I wouldn't ride on Wednesday:  The Giant Barn Swing.  Peanut and Jelly had rode on it, Wednesday, but the giant swinging arms had made me feel a little nauseous just watching them.  It's an ordinary swing, that flew up you in to the air at great speeds, and then flew back down again.  UGH!!!  But I got on it. Because I had promised that I would.  And, it was OK.  It was fun.  But I had to keep my eyes closed for most of the ride.

The rest of the day was spent riding on all the rides we enjoyed, and having a great time.  The other giant roller-coaster we didn't get to ride on Wednesday had to be shut down because of the weather (another answered prayer) and so we made do with all the other thrill rides that remained open.  

By 4:30PM, the kids and I were all ready to call it a day and head to our resort.  By the time we made it through the gift shop and back to our car, it was around 5PM.  Just as we were leaving the park, we got stuck in some MAJOR traffic.  I knew it wasn't just the park traffic, because even though the park had seemed pretty busy, we hadn't waited in a single line for a ride all day long so I know it wasn't too bad.  Come to find out, there was a major wreck, which kept us all sitting in our car for over an hour.  Our resort was only 7 miles away from Silver Dollar City, but we didn't get here until 6:20PM.

Once we checked in and took all of our stuff to our room, we decided to head straight to dinner.  We chose one of the restaurants located at the resort, and had a great meal.  As soon as we were done, it was back to our room to get ready to head to the indoor water park.  

The indoor water park is nice.  It's small, and definitely more focused for the kids, but it wasn't too busy and we had a good time.  I lazed around on the Lazy River and in the jacuzzi pools, went down the slides a few times, and just relaxed while the kids went all over the place.  One thing I really liked is that nothing is deeper than 3FT deep, so Jelly could go pretty much anywhere she wanted and I didn't have to follow her around.  Great for me, and great for the kids.  They could do what they wanted to do, and I could do what I wanted to do.

We left the pool a little after 9PM, and it was straight back to our room for some much needed rest.  The kids all passed out pretty quick, as did I.  I didn't sleep very well, but I never do when I'm away from home.  I was up bright and early this morning in order to drink a cup of coffee and write my blog... like always. 

It's just about time to go wake up the kids for Day Two of our adventures.  But, I'll share more about that tomorrow.

We are having a GREAT time, and can't wait for more fun today!!