Jonny took his board exams on a Wednesday (April 11, a date I may perhaps never forget) ...
And once that awfulness was over, we packed up (to the brim!) and headed eastward! We were so pleased that Juliette's very first vacation was across her home state. Juliette's first car trip was a resounding success, as she slept the first 2 hours and 45 minutes of the 3.5 hour ride! We timed our departure with the start of her nap, but had no idea what to expect. Definitely got lucky!
Our first stop was Nashville, to see Jonathan's brother Stephen and his wife Amanda. They are about to welcome their first baby (and our first nephew!) at the end of May. We can't wait to meet him!
We also got to visit Jonathan's Daddy Ray, his first time to meet Juliette.
It was great to visit with Daddy Ray and spend several lovely afternoon hours with him under the gazebo. (Stephen and I even did a piano "duet" of sorts.)
We enjoyed visiting several new Nashville spots with Amanda & Stephen that we hadn't seen before--a vineyard right outside of town, and several fun restaurants! Juliette did absolutely great in the car and with a loosy-goosy schedule (was probably harder for Mommy to let go). We loved visiting them, and look forward to going back soon to meet their sweet boy! And a million thanks again to Stephen for taking these wonderful 8 month photos of Juliette while we were there.
From Nashville, we headed eastward, onto the Smoky Mountains and into the eastern time zone! Again, we were pleasantly surprised with Juliette's nap of 3 hours on the way (the entire Nashville to Knoxville stretch!). Unfortunately, we made a couple of stupid directional moves between Knoxville and our final destination condo outside of Gatlinburg, and added probably an extra hour onto the trip. Needless to say, by the time we stopped, we were all more than ready to get out of the car and eat!
We'd stayed at the wonderful Above Par condo on our 2008 trip, and loved it so much that we decided to stay there again! We loved being outside of town, with stunning views and cozy accommodations.
See?
The next day, we took an obligatory walking tour around Gatlinburg the town...and... oh-no-we-didn't!
Juliette, I hope you can forgive us for this. It was just too tempting. You can always point to my ankle socks in this picture if you need a scapegoat.
Here are some photos from the rest of the trip! Other notables...Juliette got her first tooth (and bit me! eek!), we saw a snake! (below), enjoyed some short hikes, Cades Cove, and being in District 12 (ha... I really thought about that more than once while we were there).
If you follow us on instagram (@lesliejerkins and @jayjerkins), sorry for some of the repeats. All of the good ones are Jonathan's.
(Our only family photo from this part of the trip, a still shot taken from a video where we tried to pose and smile the whole time and catch Jules at a good moment. This was the best we could do.)
That hat, right? Too much.
This trip was a sweet blessing timing-wise; we hadn't seen much of Daddy right before this since he'd been studying so hard for his test, and since I work full-time, I miss a lot during Jules' weekdays also. But people...she went through SO MANY developmental milestones on this trip! And we were there to see them all first-hand! It was amazing. I'll discuss more in the 9 month post!
Sure loved traveling with these two and making some new family memories. Can't wait to go back!
p.s. Yes, I'm publishing this retroactively so that in the future, it doesn't seem like I'm such a slacker. If it's showing up funky in your Reader, my apologies.
Oh, that snake on the tree. I'm going to erase that from my memory right now as we are going camping this weekend....
ReplyDeleteThat airbrushed t-shirt! I am dying over here. Awesome to the max.
ReplyDeletetory burch shoes
ReplyDeletelebron shoes
michael kors uk
herve leger
ray ban sunglasses, http://www.ray-bansunglassess.in.net
ray ban sunglasses
air max 90
fitflop
burberry outlet
ugg boots clearance,ugg australia,uggs on sale,ugg slippers,uggs boots,uggs outlet,ugg boots,ugg,uggs
oakley sunglasses
soccer jerseys
nhl jerseys
oakley sunglasses, http://www.oakleysunglasses-outlet.us.com
kate spade outlet
michael kors uk
hollister clothing
coach factory outlet
true religion outlet
michael kors outlet, http://www.michaelkorsoutletcanada.in.net
minnesota vikings jerseys
mizuno running
mont blanc pens
toms shoes
chanel outlet
nba jerseys, http://www.nbajerseys.us.com
christian louboutin uk
true religion jeans
cheap wedding dresses
cheap ray ban sunglasses
cai2015812
seattle seahawks
ReplyDeletechicago bears
oakley sunglasses
louis vuitton handbags outlet store
michael kors outlet online
gucci handbags
beats by dr dre
ralph lauren polo shirts
north face jackets,north face,the north face,northface,north face outlet,north face jackets clearance,the north face
ray ban sunglasses outlet,ray ban sunglasses,ray ban,rayban,ray bans,ray ban outlet,ray-ban,raybans,ray ban wayfarer,ray-ban sunglasses,raybans.com,rayban sunglasses,cheap ray ban
nike free
chicago blackhawks
tiffany jewelry
ferragamo shoes
mulberry outlet online
kobe 9 elite
basketball shoes
cheap oakley sunglasses
coach outlet store
north face outlet
moncler outlet
indianapolis colts
ddd1028
zhengjx20160801
ReplyDeletenike roshe run mens
ghd hair straighteners
pandora charms
louis vuitton purses
cheap oakley sunglasses
air jordan shoes
nfl jerseys
cheap oakleys
jordan 3 retro
coach factory outlet
louis vuitton bags
ray bans
nike roshe one
concords 11
ray ban sunglasses
ralph lauren outlet
louis vuitton bags
cheap jordan shoes
coach outlet store online clearances
hermes bags
louis vuitton handbags
true religion outlet online
oakley sunglasses
lebron 13
true religion jeans
louis vuitton outlet
ray ban sunglasses outlet
burberry outlet online
polo ralph lauren outlet
tory burch flats
beats by dre outlet
louis vuitton outlet stores
air jordan 8
lebron 12
coach outlet clearance
lebron james shoes 13
christian louboutin outlet
gucci belts
ralph lauren clearance outlet
kobe 8
oakley sunglasses
ReplyDeleteadidas tubular x
michael jordan shoes
oakley store online
adidas yeezy uk
nike roshe run
hogan outlet online
michael kors handbags
http://www.raybanglasses.in.net
nike roshe one
vera bradley outlet
true religion jeans
michael kors handbags sale
cheap nfl jerseys
tiffany and co jewelry
adidas nmd
tiffany online
nike air zoom
http://www.oakley-sunglass.in.net
nike zoom
tiffany jewelry
hermes belt
cheap jordans
tiffany online
cheap tiffanys
adidas stan smith
yeezy boost 350
huarache shoes
ray ban sunglasses
ReplyDeleteed hardy outlet
the north face outlet
christian louboutin shoes
tiffany jewellery
michael kors handbags
nike air huarache
cheap oakley sunglasses
christian louboutin sale
new balance outlet