Day #6- Chattanooga!!

On Day #6 we left Manchester and drove about an hour and a half to Chattanooga, Tennessee. This very quickly became our most favorite day and destination of our entire "cross-country" road trip. Our primary sub-destination inside of Chattanooga was actually Lookout Mountain. A very large mountain that rises up in the corner of the Chattanooga Valley, half of the mountain is in Georgia and the other half of the mountain is in Tennessee. On this mountain were several different things to do and see, and we wanted to try just about all of them. Our first stop was Ruby Falls,






A 145ft. tall waterfall that is 1,120ft. underground. I know! Cool, huh?! An underground waterfall?! That is just awesome. So, we went there and got a military discount, (yay!) and took about a mile long tour inside these underground cave systems that led to, finally, the beautiful Ruby Falls. This was so much fun to explore and we really loved it. Grace seemed to really enjoy everything as well, until we got to the waterfall and the way it works is that the lights are off around the waterfall and then they turn them on for 7 minutes per tour group. They also turn on some loud, but pretty, music as the lights are on. I guess this thoroughly creeped her out so she screamed and cried for the whole walk around the path surrounding the actual waterfall.

After the cave tour and pretty Ruby Falls, the tour spit you out at their Gift Shop of course, to get you to spend even MORE money! haha. So, we bypassed the gift shop, but did head out to the exclusive and very large playground that is only accessible to those who go on the tour. :) To say the least, Grace LOVED it. It didn't hurt that a sweet little southern belle named Kaylee took it upon herself to play with and take care of Grace either. She adopted Grace for about 35-45 minutes and just played with her all over the playground. Carried her, held her, spun her in circles, lifted her up to the top of the slides and then caught her at the bottom, scooping her up and talking to her. How adorable, right?! Grace loved it, because hey, any mommy other than her own is top notch in her book! This sweet little girl couldn't have been older than about 9 or 10 and she was just such a sweetie! Grace STILL talks about her. I went and told the mom what a sweet daughter she had, and that whatever she was doing, she was doing it right, because she had one sweet, maternal and friendly daughter on her hands. She was shocked, because I guess Kaylee is the 'bossy one' in their family. Well, this made me feel slightly better. If that is how bossy little girls turn out, then maybe I can stop worrying about Grace. :) Maybe someday she will make a great big sister.

















After Ruby Falls, we continued up the Mountain to a Civil War sight. In the Civil war there were several battles fought in the Chattanooga area, and so there is now a National town park, and a little museum and gift shop all teaching about the battles fought for Chattanooga. This, obviously was Topher's favorite thing on our entire trip. Watching the little mini diorama drama was thrilling for him, don't ask me why, but it was. They had a little mini theater with pictures displayed on a projector screen, and then narrated description of the battles fought, and where they were and how they plotted their strategies and all the battle outcomes. All the while, you are looking at the diorama that has all the miniature men in uniform and the rivers, and mountains, horses, camps, and everything is lighting up with miniature light bulbs as they become part of the narrative.












I don't know if that makes any sense at all. But, it was Topher's favorite! He even bought himself a Navy Sailor hat back from the Civil War era and authentic Civil War bullets found in the Chattanooga Valley.



















When we left the Battles for Chattanooga we thought it was only about 2:00 or 3:00. Well, little did we know that we had lost an hour, and then to top it off, it was Daylight Savings! So, we lost 2 HOURS!! This was not cool!! So when we got in the car to head to Rock City, (also on Lookout Mountain) It was 5:30! We got to Rock City, they informed us that they sell the last ticket at 6:00 and that the park is only open until dark. So, Topher and I proceeded to try and race through it as quickly as possible! After a while, we realized that really we had plenty of time to just enjoy the scenery, and luckily, it had started sprinkling before we got there, so everyone left!! We had the whole park/garden to ourselves!!! Boo-yah!
Rock City is just like a giant landscaped rock garden. It starts on one walking path and continues through a huge maze of rocks, little cliffs, bridges that overlap one another and then just beautiful trees, flowers, fountains, ponds. It was a lot of fun, and ended up being my favorite of the whole trip.























There is a spot in Rock City, where they have 7 state flags displayed. The reason for this is that they have found a spot where you can see 7 states at once. There is a plaque pointing in each of the 7 directions and telling you how many miles to that state border. This was our first view of South Carolina!












Like I said, it had sprinkled a little bit just before we got there, and a little bit while we were there, so were probably 3 of the 10 total people visiting the garden. So, no lines for Funnel Cake! yay!!!! (Dacia, I missed you! You needed to be there to eat funnel cake with me.)

















There is one spot at Rock City that I had seen pictures of and was the most excited to see and that was Lovers Leap. Legend has it that 2 enemy Indian Tribes lived close by. The daughter of one and the son of another fell in love, and when they were forbidden to be together, the boy was put to death on this cliff, and then the girl jumped to her death to be with him. Not a very happy story. But romantic, in that sick sort of way. Haha. Anyway, this is the supposed cliff, and its really beautiful. If you are wondering why the water is green...they dyed it for St. Patrick's day. Lol.



































We left Rock City around 7:30 or 8:00 and drove to Augusta, Georgia. The plan had been to actually make it to Goose Creek, but because we had such a fun day, and we lost 2 hours, we didn't think we'd make it there at a reasonable time, so we instead just drove to Augusta and got there at about midnight. :)
Stay tuned! Day #7 we close on our house!
Miles today: 392 miles
Total Mileage: 2,176 miles
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Road Trip Day #5

On day #5 we crossed over the Mississippi River to go from Arkansas to Tennessee and decided to check out Elvis Presley's "Graceland".

I did a famous person report on him when I was in 8th grade and so I have always had some interest in him. Topher, well, he just went because he loves me and is a good sport. So, we got there, neither of us knowing what to expect in relation to prices, tours, what there was to see or do, etc... So, Topher went to the ticket booth, and assumed that this was important to me because I hadn't really considered NOT going, and so, the sweet boy paid $60 to get us both in to see Graceland. Well, I didn't have my glasses on, so I thought the tickets were $13 a person, not $31!! So of course i didn't say anything because I thought $13 was reasonable! Let's just say that Topher was a little confused when I was extremely upset that we had to pay so much! He thought he was going out on a limb and getting something special for me, and really I thought it was a ridiculous rip off and would never have paid that much to see Elvis Presley's living room!

But because Topher is a sweetheart he told me that it was already done, we couldnt change it, and so we had might as well enjoy it since we had to pay so much to get in. Well, it took a while to convince me to do that, but I eventually got there.

I still would say that it is a rip off, and not worth the money at all, but, we still had fun, and now I can say I took the Elvis Presley Tour.


Something else that bummed me out about Graceland though, was that we had only been thinking of spending 30 min. to an hour there, but because we paid so much for the tickets, AND they made us wait in line for an hour to get on the tour bus, we ended up being there for over half the day. This was disappointing to me because our next stop was going to be Nashville, and I had had a lot of things I wanted us to see and do there. But, no such luck when you get there at 7:00 p.m.

Needless to say, we got there really late, probably around 7:00 so it was too dark to see or do anything anymore. :( Next time hopefully.
We did stop at the true to size replica of the Grecian Parthenon, and that was really neat, but because it was so late, we couldn't take the tour inside or anything.

We then stopped at a White Castle to get some sliders, (that was our shout out to you, Karen!) and then we continued driving to Manchester, Tennessee.
Sadly, because I am writing this so behind schedule, i don't really remember any cute stories from the day.

The only thing I remember that was sort of cute is this: Before we left Utah, Dacia and I went shopping together. I picked up some Barbie movies for Grace for in the car because, to my dismay, she absolutely loves them. One of them especially, became her favorite for the trip and was probably watched on average between 2-3 times a day. By day #5 she had the songs almost completely memorized. When we were at the Parthenon, she kept running ahead of us and singing, and putting herself high up on the stairs, or anything that was set higher than us, and just singing. She would sit there, singing and twirling and with the biggest smile on her face, singing all the words to Barbie, The Swan Princess. It really was so very cute. I loved just watching her; that sweet, exuberant smile on her face, singing, and if she caught me looking at her, she would get bashful and smile even bigger, but in turn sing quieter. Such a sweet girl she was.
Every night she would ask us, "We going to nuddah howtail?" No fail, every night she asked that question, and then would ask if we could go swimming.
I just loved the way she said hotel.
Anywho...that was day #5.
Miles Today: 283
Total Mileage: 1,784



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Road Trip Day #4

On Day #4 we started out in Oklahoma. Per recommendation of Dad and Karen we stopped in Oklahoma City to visit the Alfred P. Murrah Memorial. I had vaguely heard of the Oklahoma City Bombing before, but really didn't know much about it. Afterall, I was only 7 when it

happened, and really my memory doesn't go back that far.

The attack happened on April 19, 1995 and was an act by a former U.S. Army soldier. He was angry at the government for the handling of certain things and took it out on this Federal building by putting together 7,000 lbs. of explosives. He wanted to send a message. His 'message' killed 168 people, 19 of which were children ranging from 3 months to 6 years old.

I can't imagine what could ever possess a human being to do such a thing to another human being, to children. I can only hope that he wasn't sane. And that people like that are few, and are hopefully stopped before they do similar acts of evil.

The memorial built to remember the victims of the bombing is beautiful. It is very thought provoking, serene and peaceful.

(Photo from "Travel & Photography" by Jim Nix)

The memorial has two large 'gates' that enclose a reflecting pool. One gate has 9:01 engraved at the top, and the other has 9:03, the reflecting pool is inbetween them to signify the time of the bombing.

The field of chairs is to symbolize the 168 empty chairs around people's dinner tables, that now sit empty. 19 of them are smaller for the 19 children that were killed.

The tree I photographed up above is actually called the Survivor Tree because it survived the explosion as well as the fires that followed. It has been left in the exact same place, and as it blossoms every spring it is meant to encourage young people in the city that growth is still possible, and that their future is still bright.

Being at the Memorial, walking along the sidewalks and reading the names of the lives lost was a very sobering experience. But it made me very grateful for some things. It made me grateful for my family. It made me grateful for the gospel. It made me grateful for people that pull together to lift each other up. It made me happy to know that, no matter how many people are out there that have hatred in their hearts; for every 1 with hatred, there are at least 100 with love instead of hate. Good truly does outweigh bad. People are mostly good, kind and encouraging, and that is a comfort to me, to know that most people still have the light of Christ, and if we are hurt by an act comitted by someone who has lost that light, that those of us with it still intact will pull together, to raise one another up in faith and love. So, even though I left with a prayer in my heart for all the people affected by the bombing, I also left with a renewed gratitude for my many blessings.

OKAY...so. I am going to kind of switch directions now. I apologize if that was a bit dramatic, but, as I have said several times before, this is my journal, so I may be a bit too open for the public eye sometimes. If that is the case with this entry.....sorry. :/

After visiting the memorial we headed to a "must-see" which is the Bricktown District, and the Bricktown Canal.

There is a lot of shopping and restaurants here, and they all surround a canal with several bridges and water taxis. The weather was beautiful and so was the scenery. Topher and I both were smitten with the city and esp. this area. It was so fun and had a bit of southern charm, we really loved just strolling up and down the sidewalks, eating frozen yogurt and enjoying the sunshine.

So while we were walking along the canal, there were some ducks. Well, Grace decided she wanted to see these ducks. She walked up to the water's edge and in her most sing-songy doting voice said "Come hewe duckies. I won huwt you. Come heeee-ewwe."

When the ducks didn't come, she continued "Duckies....come hee-ewee! Come hewe...now, or I wiw pank yo butt. If you come hewe, I be nice and just pet you, come hewe!" I should note, that while she was bossing the ducks around threatening spanked bottoms, she had her hands on her hips in the most perfect 'bossy mommy' pose I have ever seen. It was hilarious, to say the least. I was laughing so hard listening to my Gracey talk in this sweet, loving mommy-esque voice, and then threatening spankings, to DUCKS no less! Hah! That girl cracks me up so much.

I also wanted to mention, Oklahoma is where Topher's Dad served his mission, so we wanted to give a 'shout out!' to Curtis and say that we thoroughly enjoyed Oklahoma City! It was a really endearing and charming city and we very much want to go back someday. Only, next time maybe we could have Curtis be our personal tour guide? :) That would probably make the visit even better.

We set off from Oklahoma City a bit after the Canal and continued on through Arkansas, (which was also beautiful) and stopped in West Memphis, AK. Originally we had thought we'd made it to Tennessee for the evening but soon realized that West Memphis is actually on the West side of the Mississippi river, and until we crossed over to the East side of the River, we were officially in Arkansas. :) So we stayed the night there and planned to cross the Mississippi the next morning and explore Memphis.

Check back tomorrow for an update on Day #5- Graceland!

Thanks for checking in! We love and miss our families so so much! I esp. am missing my family and just playing games and eating dinner together. I miss you family! You are all in my prayers each night and I hope you are all well.

Mileage Today: 527 Miles

Total Mileage: 1,501 Miles

Road Trip Day #3 - At least its not Amarillo!

So, Day #3 started out in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Our goal for the day was to drive from Albuquerque, NM to Weatherford, OK. This is about a 7 hour stretch of absolutely. nothing. That stretch through Texas is the most flat, and barren stretch of land I have ever seen. Flat as far as the eye can see with no trees, plants, animals, houses, hills or anything of the like. I tried to look up things to see or do along the route and there was just about nothing. There was Cadillac Ranch, a crooked water tower, and the largest Cross in the U.S. And that's about it! So...I decided...I could at least be grateful that Topher's military assignment wasn't going to be filled out in Amarillo! Not that it was that bad, but...what am I saying, it was! Topher didn't want me to say that. He wants me to positive. And I am! I'm grateful we're not moving to Amarillo because I'm POSITIVE I'll like Charleston better. :) There. Me=Positive.
We did find online some info about Santa Rosa, New Mexico that looked nice. There was supposed to be an area with natural lakes and such that was supposed to be really pretty. There was supposed to be a swimming hole, and several parks and we had decided we would have lunch there.
Hm....not sure how swimming or anything would work...when theres, no water though...






This was Park Lake. It looks like it could have been fun...if when you came off the slide there was water to catch you. Or if when you dove off the diving board you weren't going to hit the ground with your head. :) Yeah, to say the least, the water level was pretty darn low.
So, we decided we would check out The Blue Hole. This was supposed to be a "must see" in Santa Rosa...but all it was was a very pretty little spot of fresh water that was 65 degrees and 80 ft. deep. Not so sure we would want to swim in there either. :) It is supposed to be a really neat place to go Scuba Diving, and it was indeed really quite beautiful. It was very clear and Grace loved the fish that were swimming in it.

After wading in the cold, teal water, we headed to a nearby grocery store where we bought things to make PB&J and drove about 10 min. outside of town to the Santa Rosa Lake State Park. It was such beautiful weather and there was a nice cool breeze. We ate lunch and Grace & Topher played around the camp table kicking Toph's soccer ball around, throwing rocks and yelling at spiders.
We Utahns are classy wouldn't you say? She walked around like this for, oh, let's see...ALL DAY! Everytime she walked about 4 steps her pants would come down and usually end up around her ankles. At least if I saw it happening that's what the outcome was. HA! If Topher saw, he actually helped her instead of just sitting and laughing. I know, I know, I'm a great mommy.





A funny story from lunch came up after we had finished eating. Topher came and sat by me on the bench and was hugging me, and yes, possibly giving me a couple of kisses...Grace walked up and said "Daddy! Daddy! I'm gonna go hide! And you come find me, ok? I'm gonna go hide...right, over THERE! (she then proceeded to point to the exact spot she was going to go hide) Daddy! You come find me, ok?! As soon as you done kissing eachover, come find me!"
We laughed so hard! What a patient girl to let us finish kissing first, before asking her Daddy to come play with her. And not only that, but how helpful of her to tell us where she'd be hiding as well!
After lunch we continued on towards Amarillo, TX. A place called Cadillac Ranch was about the only thing that came up as "things to see" between New Mexico & Oklahoma City. Surprisingly, it was actually pretty fun! I guess that as a piece of American Art a few guys thought that Cadillacs, stuck half way into the ground, would make some interesting modern art. They used to be new, pretty, and recognizable as different models of the classic Cadillac. But, over the years, they have been stripped of seats, wheels, windows, and every scrap of body, most likely for souvenirs. They are no longer recognizable, not just for the lack of car left, but also because it has become tradition for people to spray paint things on the cars. One forum I read said that it was a must to leave your mark on the cars, but to take a picture quick, because before you know it, it'll be covered up by someone else's tag!
Well, we left our mark. :) There were spray paint cans everywhere, and it just seemed like that's what you were supposed to do. So, Topher and I became rebels, and even taught Grace how to do it too!! Not very rebellious when there's a sign that condones it though, huh? oh well!



Cadillac Ranch- You could smell the fumes of spray paint from where we parked along the freeway's frontage road.


Grace called them "funny caws." And thought it was very silly that they were in the ground. But even more silly, she thought, was that there were no seats. She got a kick out of that, and kept asking where they had gone.


The pair of happy taggers. :) TGA (Topher, Grace Alysia) Oh, and the heart of course. Now we left our mark! I wonder how long it will actually stay there before its covered again. There were literally dozens of spray paint cans all over the place!





We were there right before sunset and It was really beautiful.


After Cadillac Ranch we got some dinner at Dairy Queen and continued our drive to Weatherford, OK. We got there pretty late again and all fell asleep pretty quickly.
Pretty good day over all though, and we were happy to be done with the long stretch of barren ground, and on our way to the greener pastures of Oklahoma.
Miles Today: 473
Total Mileage: 974
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Road Trip Day #2

Day #2 started with us in Moab. We debated going to Arches, (I thought it would be neat...but Toph said he'd seen it plenty of times. psh!) but decided to just head to Mesa Verde instead. Along the way we stopped at little sights along historic Route 66, like "Hole n the Rock".

We also stopped at an overlook for the Colorado River right past Arches National Park. The drive was all right, not much to report. Gracey was happy, then sad, then angry, then tired and quiet. Dealing with her roller coaster of emotions isn't the funnest thing when we are stuck in a confined space. But, oh well!





The drive to Mesa Verde was ok. Very windy and long to get to the villages that is for sure. All of them were closed for winter except Spruce Tree House, which Topher says is one of his favorites anyways. Grace LOVED it, and that might even be an understatement. She called it her "castle in the wocks". She was the Princess and she wanted to go inside the underground Kivas over and over again. She loved climbing down and then making up stories for what was down there. The air shaft in her opinion was actually a cage for animals, and it was not in her mind a religious place, as theorized, but a room, with a bed, and a wall for her babies to sleep on, and then of course the animal cage. Silly girl.









After Mesa Verde, we drove to Farmington New Mexico and had dinner, and then ended our day in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As it turns out in Albuquerque they hold the country's largest Balloon Festival. Our hotel was actually called the Holiday Inn Express--Balloon Festival. I wish we had been there for that! How cool to see the sky all covered in hot air balloons!
We made it to our hotel around 10 p.m. however the pool was open until 11 so we went down to the pool and let Grace play for about 35-40 minutes. I was tired, so I stayed in the hot tub. Topher got landed with Grace in the cold pool. :) Grace's 45 minutes was ENTIRELY passed running between the hot tub and the pool, back and forth and back again, jumping into the hot tub with me, then immediately climbing out and jumping into the pool to Topher. We had a good night and a good day at Mesa Verde. :)
Our total mileage thus far on the trip: 599 miles