Off to Gatlinburg

After 4 wonderful days in Puryear Tennessee we were off to Gatlinburg for some more fun. My parents were actually also vacationing in Gatlinburg so we got to spend some quality time with them.

We met up with them on Thursday and had a blast going to the Ripley's Aquarium. The Aquarium is special to us because our company designed it, and Kevin actually helped out with that project about 12 years ago. Marek of course loved it, because anything in an aquarium is amazing..

We also did the Ripley's Mirror Maze and me, my mom and dad did the Ripley's Haunted Mansion. That was AWESOME! It was actually pretty spooky and really well done. Kevin and my dad rode on the Motion simulated rides. After that we headed over to Ober Gatlinburg and rode the big tram over the mountains. Not to our luck.... a HUGE storm came through and the power went out almost 15 minutes after getting to the top. We were stuck at the top of the mountain for over 3 hours. We made do, and entertained ourselves. Marek didn't seem to care..

After we finally made it down, my mom threw Kevin a surprise party in our hotel room. It was a surprise to me too. And then we went and ate at a really fantastic Italian dinner for Kevin's birthday. It was a wonderful visit. And fantastic to see them. :)

Here is a picture after arriving in Gatlinburg for dinner.

Fish at the Aquarium

Inside with the seahorses..

A view from our room. It had a beautiful creek running through. And lots of ducks. It was peaceful.

Up up and away to Ober Gatlinburg

He was sooooo into wanting to feel the ice skaing rink. He was loving the skaters. Aunt Alisha would be so proud!

Watching them skate, and fall..

After 3 hours of running around... he was beat..

Riding the rides with Grandma.

The unforgettable Calzone... it was something else! On the menu it read. "Bigger than you expect" and boy was it. Lots of people at the restaurant got out of their seats to come and see it.

Ziplines or Spiderman Webs

Marek got to try out his cousins zipline. He kept saying it was like Spidermans web... Who knows.. At first he was nervous to try it.. But then he decided he wanted in on all the fun. He was happy he went for it.

The AMAZING country life...

I could settle into this lifestyle REAL quick.. There is always something to do, and all of it seems so peaceful to me. Here are some of the wonderful things Marek and the kids did while we were at Lady Bug. (Lots of photos ahead..)

Paw and Marek on Tractor Eddie.

Taking a little break..

Paxton, Hayden, Reagan and Marek.. wishing they could take a spin on the jetski

Watching the chickens eat breakfast

Begging Paw to swing him first thing in the morning.. Still in his jammies...

Feeding the rabbits with Paw.

All the fun wiped him out!

3 Generations of Orr's wearing their hats. :)

Uncle Shane giving the little ones a ride on the go-cart

Happy Birthday Kev! I don't think Kevin got to open any of his own presents. He was fully assisted by Marek.

Ready to go... with their helmets on backwards. Ha!

Quality reading time with Paw.

Running the footings of the future house.

Rough life... Passed out in the swing..

Me snuggling one of the many bunnies.

How many kids fit on a 4-wheeler?? Well 4 of course...

So cute! They think they might actually take off.

Taking a ride down the slide with Memaw

Road Trip 2009

Our trip was so amazing... That I'm going to have to chop it up into different posts... We decided that we were going to rent a car and drive leisurely to Tennessee. We left work around 3:30 pm and picked up our sweet Cadillac STS and brought it home to load up. After we loaded up we took off towards Tennessee. We landed in Georgia and crashed for the night. Marek woke up and it was around 11:30pm when we got to the hotel. He knew at that moment that he was on vacation! (He loves staying at hotels)

The next morning we had breakfast and jumped back in the car for about 6 more hours until we got to the little town of Puryear TN where Kevs family lives. We did take a quick stop on the way when I heard my sister was at Target at an exit that we happened to be passing by. So ironic!! I was actually calling her to let her know I was passing her old exit in Nashville when she goes... I'm like 4 exits away from you!! She was taking a short trip to visit my brother in law who is in the Army Reserve. So we stopped and visited with them shortly. It was lovely to see my beautiful nephews.

We were super thrilled to pull up to Lady Bug (the name of my in-laws place). We are always looking forward to relaxing with them and visiting. After settling in we headed over to catch the end of Paxton's baseball game. It was a great game for him. He ran two runs in!! My niece Reagan hit it off right away with Marek. They were too funny the whole trip.

While visiting we celebrated Kev's birthday with a spectacular dinner. Not only that night.. but every night we ate so well. My mother in law is a fabulous cook, I always feel spoiled rotten when I get there.
The visit was way too short, and I'm hoping for another visit soon! I miss you guys! Thank you for such a wonderful vacation!

Marek thrilled about going on VACATION!!

My sister Alisha and my nephew Josiah.

My youngest nephew Landon. Yummy Yummy!

YAY!! We made it to Lady Bug!!

Sweet sweet cousins. Marek and Reagan.

Kevs Birthday

This year Kev was a lucky boy and had 3 parties for his birthday. And I don't know anyone that doesn't deserve it more. He is a wonderful person inside and out, and I could not feel luckier to have him in our lives.

The first party was a low-key lunch with friends at Bahama Breeze, complete with cake. :) The second was a beautiful dinner in Tennessee made by his mom. Also with a super delicious chocolate cake! Boy was that meal yummy! Next was actually a surprise to both of us, by my mom. Who threw him an impromptu party in our hotel room, and a yummy Italian dinner at a cute restaurant around the corner from our hotel.

Kevin is very thankful and blessed to have such great friends and family. I want to thank you all for making it so special for him. XOXO, Amber

I had to take a picture of this Calzone. That was a large styrofoam cup next to it, to give you an idea of how large this thing was. And it was maxed out FULL inside. Most people in the restaurant got up to see it. It was that amazing. On the menu it said..... "larger than you might expect." And boy was it!!

Reilly's 3rd Birthday

Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate... The kids all decorated a piece of chocolate in the shape of a pizza slice. Marek was a real crank that day. We woke him up from his nap, and then woke him up in the car when we got there. I was ready to trade him in for one of his little buddies. But he still loved seeing everyone and tasting all the yummy treats. Thanks for an unforgettable birthday party Reilly! We had a blast!