... Back to November 2007
I didn't have a blog back then but that's not the point. Given I'm about to make a post of Thanksgiving {2011} I wanted to share these next pictures with you all of what I believe has to be one of the most beautiful scenic road trips in the United States.
In November 2007 we lived in McKinney, TX (that's in N Dallas) and three days before we went on our trip I had gallbladder surgery. Excited to be on vacation from work and recovering from surgery I felt happy, relaxed and looking forward to spending time with Jacob's family during Thanksgiving break. The drive was two days long and because of my recent surgery my doctor advised I stop every hour to stretch and walk around a bit to prevent getting a blood clot. Believe it or not stopping every hour wasn't as bad as it sounds. We left early on a Thursday, at our usual 5:00 am out the door time when we go on long road trips. We drove out of East Texas then into Arkansas, then through Memphis Tennessee, stopped in Knoxville for the night then made our way through North Carolina and arrived in Havelock, NC on Friday evening.
{I had a different camera back then and back then I also used to like to have the date printed on the front of the pictures .... not anymore.}
I am SO glad we went on this road trip in Autumn because I had NEVER in my life seen such beautiful colors as we drove through and stopped at the visitors center in the Smoky Mountains. I was so in awe! God is awesome for painting those trees so beautifully!!!
One morning we headed to the beach while it was still dark. This was our first time ever to visit the East coast so naturally I wanted to see the sunrise .... didn't happen {boo hoo}, it was just too darn foggy. That may not have gone as planned but I still captured some great pictures of all of us. It is so neat to experience the East and West coasts. I'm glad my kids, well at the time it was just Sydna and Nathan, got to see both Atlantic & Pacific oceans.
Jacob's sister Lisa was kind enough to show us around New Bern and also treated us to lunch.
Did you know that New Bern is the birthplace of Pepsi Cola?
We also visited the Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium 5 miles West of Atlantic Beach.
{I took alot more pictures than just the ones posted here but it seems I missplaced a few dvr's that contained the photos, ugh.}
This picture of Nathan cracks me up.
His face is so hilarious!
We visited Lisa and her family later on that evening. Nathan got to play the Wii for the first time and he loved it! He was hooked.
Sydna loved petting Lisa's dog Obie.
Now on our way to Cape Lookout. How exciting!
I had not gotten on a boat since I was a little girl. I was excited but I was also nervous. I just kept thinking about a vortex all of a sudden appearing and swallowing us all. I wasn't scared about sharks or the freezing water but the darn vortex. The thought wouldn't leave my mind. I remember praying for protection and after about five minutes I was fine. I was finally enjoying being out on a boat. We did see a few dolphins. Nathan on the other hand didn't enjoy it quite so much ... at least not on our way to the lighthouse. He was fine at first but once we were far away from land he became scared. He also said that he got a little seasick, poor thing. He was fine on the way back.
Having to get on a boat and having a destination is so fun. This was my first experience and it was a wonderful one. I wish we could have slept under the starry sky, grill some burgers and drink a few beers {maybe next time} ... it was so peaceful out there.
Then at last it was Thanksgiving ... at the Garcia's house.
This was our first holiday we celebrated with Jacob's family since we were married in 1996. Unreal right? ...
Jacob's mom carving the turkey and you can see Lisa in the background; Jacob drinking a Coors Light; Jacob and his Dad; the cousins: Sydna, Jasmine, Alex, Nathan and Nic; Me laughing; Jacob and his Dad again; and Nathan and Mommy.
Can't quite remember if we celebrated my mother-in-laws birthday before or after Thanksgiving but we had seafood for dinner .... and I believe Lisa brought a cake.
Very nice view.
My mother-in-law blowing out the candles.
...
I've told Jacob this before but my father-in-law could pass as a writer.
Wouldn't you agree? He's got the beard, glasses and all.
Trips never seem to last long when you're enjoying yourself. Even though we were there for two full weekends ... time still went by too fast. And so it was time for us to leave. We took the same route back home ... the trees in the Smoky's hardly had any leaves left. The scenery looked totally different as the trees were now awaiting Winter. This time we stopped in Memphis to eat some delicious BBQ and we also stopped at the visitors center.
Of course ... the kids had to take a picture with an Elvis cardboard figure.
It was so cold on this day and rainy which I like but because of the weather the streets were deserted. I really wanted to post pictures of our visit to Memphis but like I mentioned earlier I have missplaced several photo albums {so upset about it}.
Well this was our North Carolina trip and I loved it. What makes it more special for us is that while we were driving into Tennessee, XM radio started playing Christmas music and we just LOVE Christmas music so the atmosphere in the car made our trip that much more memorable and cozy.
I talk about this trip all the time and we're hoping to someday make this drive to the East coast again some day ... however this time it'll take us a day longer since we now live in Arizona. No matter, at least we're familiar with the freeways and Texas (North TX that is) all too well.
{Thank You in-laws for making this trip so enjoyable and memorable for us especially for me.}
I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did.
Made me relive some wonderful memories.
Now .... If I only had a time machine .......
