Family Trips

One of the blessings of having a small family, just the 3 of us, is that we can afford to take weekend trips or day trips and do a lot of fun things together. I am a firm believer that you have to spend TIME with your kid(s), not just in the house watching TV or watching them play with their friends. When you get away from the hustle & bustle of your daily lives, you actually have time and space for conversations. You can learn so much about your child on these little getaway trips, PLUS it makes great memories for them (and for you) to always cherish.

One of our favorite weekend getaways is Atlanta. We have been to several Atlanta Hawks basketball games, which we really enjoy! We have also been to the Georgia Aquarium and the Atlanta Zoo while down there, as well as the Fernbank Museum. We drive down on a Friday night after work, get up Saturday and do a fun activity, attend a ball game Saturday night, and then drive home on Sunday.

Another really fun recent trip was to Nashville. I had not been to Nashville in YEARS! We drove down on a Friday for a Toby Mac & Skillet concert that night. We spent the night and came home on Saturday. The concert itself was incredible! But walking the streets of Nashville and showing Logan some of the sights was also a great time.

Of course we go to Pigeon Forge often, since it’s just a half-hour away. We have done a lot of fun activities up there, from go-karts to the wax museum to putt-putt, and of course the Aquarium, Splash Country, and Dollywood.

We took a family trip a few years ago on a Saturday morning to the Lost Sea in Sweetwater. It was a couple of hours drive and just a one-day trip, but it was a lot of fun. More shared memories.

During the July 4th holiday in 2008, we met our nieces in Lake Lure, N.C. for a weekend. It was such a beautiful place. It was halfway between us and them, and it was a great getaway weekend. Sometimes we include other people in our little getaways, but most of the time it’s just the three of us.

When Artie's uncle passed away in the fall of 2008, the whole Davis family went down to Florida for Thanksgiving to spend time with our family down there. Artie, Logan & I took an extra day and went to Busch Gardens, just the 3 of us. Again, more family bonding time. Logan still talks about that trip! (I cannot believe how BIG I am in this photo! Thank goodness for gastric bypass surgery!)

Sometimes it's just a concert, or the circus, or a night on the town together.

Family time is so important. It seems like Logan was just a baby yesterday and now he’s 13 on his way to 30. It goes by SO FAST!!! You never get that time back, so make the most of it! Spend time with your kids doing fun things. It doesn’t have to be a whole weekend trip, just get out of the house together and drive somewhere for the day. You won’t regret it!!!

Annual Review

Warning: This is a depressing post. Sorry in advance!

It’s almost time for my annual review at the sweatshop. I dread this every year, because BB (big boss) is a master of psychology and somehow I walk out thinking I’ve really talked him into something great - when in actuality he’s talked me into a decrease in pay and longer hours (or something like that).

What I really want to tell him is that I am tired. I have lost my motivation. While others in the office are thinking of career advancement, attending seminars, and a heavier caseload, all I can think of is early retirement.

Can I just ask for shorter hours this year? Or a few Fridays off? Or time for doctor’s appointments without complaints? A raise in pay would be great, but it’s just not my #1 priority right now. I’m burned out. I’m exhausted ALL the time. I literally count down the hours until I’m home again with Artie & Logan. On the weekends, I barely want to leave the house because I crave the home time so badly.

Yes, I realize there is more going on with me than job dissatisfaction. I am going through an apparently prolonged phase in my life where I have so much regret over the choices that brought me to where I am right now, work-wise. Poor Artie has to listen to me complain, cry, and fume much more than he should have to.

Even though I work for a notoriously difficult person, it is not all his fault that I feel this way. It’s not his fault that I want to be at home. It’s not his fault that I made choices I have made. It’s not his fault that I have allowed him to usurp more and more of my time over the years. I need to set some boundaries and take some of my life back, but it’s hard at this point. I’ve worked for BB for since 1996 (except for my work-at-home experiment) and habits are established. On some days he treats me very well, I have to give him credit for that.

I have a beautiful office. I park in a covered garage attached to my building. I have great co-workers and a very interesting array of cases to work on. I am thankful to even have a job in these hard economic times.

But how do you tell your boss that even though you’re so grateful for your job, and so appreciative of your salary and benefits, what you really want is just more home time? BB is a workaholic. His kids are grown and gone. He gets bored at home without work to do. He hates to take vacations. How do I get him to see that I am desperate for my own family time and craving an afternoon to myself now and then?

(sigh) I really dread this review.

The Haunted Forest

I am very excited about the Clinton Highway Haunted Forest, which is produced by Dante Baptist Church every year. It opens this weekend, and then runs again next Wednesday through Halloween. It is always such a fun time.
Back before Logan came along, I used to be a regular fixture at the Haunted Forest, and took great pride in being in charge of the forest guides. I had special Halloween outfits and jewelry, and really enjoyed leading group after group through the scary woods every night. It was great exercise, too! And the Haunted Forest will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart because it was during the week of the forest in 1997 that Logan was conceived. Hmmm ... that suddenly makes a lot of sense to me, why he can be so SCARY. ha ha ha ha
Now that I'm old, my favorite part of the Haunted Forest is the concession stand. They always have the BEST burgers, petros, hot dogs, and homemade desserts! And I think I saw fried Twinkies there last year! The KiddieLand area is always really cute, with games for the kids and prizes. And the bonfire at the center of the forest is always filled with people, sometimes singing, sometimes just eating and enjoying the show. The scariest part of the forest is the RIDE up there and back on the back of a hay truck. Depends on the driver, I guess. I always prefer to ride with Phillip Murphy, the pastor. He's the safest!
If you live in Knoxville, you should definitely come by and support the church's annual fundraiser. It's a lot of fun, great food, and even a witnessing segment as you leave.
Here is a Facebook link for more info:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Clinton-Hwy-Haunted-Forest/139615902390

Fall is in the Air

I love love love this time of year in East Tennessee! The colors on the trees are AMAZING! And the sky is a crisp blue that I don't notice any other time of year. The temperature is near-perfect. I also love the fall season because it means Thanksgiving is right around the corner, which is my favorite holiday.
Artie decorated our porch in a festive fall theme. Buying a ceramic pumpkin is SO much better than carving one every year, don't you think? Logan is not into that activity anymore, so we saved ourselves the trouble and mess.
On our trip to Pigeon Forge over the weekend, we saw the fall colors in full glory. The mountains were clear and beautiful in the background. The weather was absolutely perfect for our day at Dollywood on Saturday!

There is apparently a scarecrow trail at New Harvest Park starting this weekend, which I would love to go see. Logan wants to go to the Corn Maze before Halloween, and of course there is always the Haunted Forest.

I love the whole feeling of fall. I have my fall candles burning at home. The colors and smells of fall are so heartwarming.

I hope it's beautiful wherever you are!

Making Christmas Cards

Last year I hand-made all of the Christmas cards that I sent out. I started in July and worked on them periodically. I still had to do a few at the last minute. It was a whole lot of work, time, and expense, plus it took extra postage to mail them because they were hand-stamp only.
I wonder if anyone even noticed the handiwork that went into them? Did they throw them away as soon as they opened them? Did they notice the "handmade for you by Kim" stamp on the back?
I enjoyed making them, for the most part, and I had a little bit of help from Logan (only when he was really REALLY bored) and I played Christmas music while working on them - even in July. I just don't know if it's worth all the time and effort. Maybe I should just buy cards this year and stick a stamp on them like everyone else. Artie thinks sending Christmas cards is a waste of time and money. We sure don't receive as many as we used to, or as many as we send out. But I enjoy the process. I like hearing from people, and I like receiving actual mail for a change.
What do you think? Are Christmas cards a dying trend? Do you enjoy sending or receiving them?

And the winner is ...

Lula Ray!! Congratulations Lu. Send me your address so I can get these gift certificates out to you. :)

Fall Break

So we are off to the Wilderness Lodge for Logan's fall break, with two of his friends in tow. Hopefully they will entertain one another so that Artie & I will get to chill and relax and just "supervise from afar."
I love extra-long weekends like this. A three or four-day weekend is just enough time to be off work without the sky falling at the office. Of course, I tote my laptop everywhere I go, so it's not like I'm ever really far from work, but I almost am.
The Wilderness Lodge is a really nice place to stay. The rooms are comfortable and have a full kitchen and a nice fireplace. I don't enjoy the water park as much as I used to, or as much as the kids do, but it's a very nice water park. There is also an arcade and a few restaurants. We plan to go to Dollywood on Saturday, at least for a few hours, to let them ride the thrill rides.

I'm not sure how much "family time" we will actually get in, since Logan's friends are going. But it's all about him anyway, right? I plan to take my Kindle, some magazines, and hundreds of digital photos to organize & edit for scrapbooking. I'm sure Artie will pack his puzzle books. We're so OLD and BORING now, aren't we?!? I'm reading over this thinking how pathetic we sound.
I would love to do some shopping while we're in Pigeon Forge, but it's not like we can go off shopping and leave the kids at the lodge, so I guess I'll shop online. I hope the leaves are in full fall glory.
Looking forward to a relaxing weekend ...