Trip to Tennessee

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This weekend, the Husband and I decided we really needed to get out of town. MomHTP’s house in Tennessee felt like the perfect escape.

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While there, I discovered that my mom keeps her nail polish in the fridge.  Huh.

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Beyond nail painting, we spent a lot of time outside. Henry went to the splash park not once, not twice, but three times.  He had a blast – the splash parks were a lot less crowded than they are in Charlotte.

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A woman said to me, “My, my, you have a runner there.  Bless your little heart,” which is Southern for “Basically, you are screwed.”  Hah.

 

We also did a lot of hiking/walking.  Nothing too strenuous, but it was still nice to be outside and in the trees.

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MomHTP and AuntieHTP:

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And, of course, we ate.  A lot.  My mom does a good job of prepping a ton of food before we arrive, so we just end up pulling Tupperwares from the fridge and heating up goodies to make meals.  Lots of collard greens and beans and other delicious Southern classics.  That didn’t stop me from loading up on peanut butter and spicy raspberry  jam sandwiches… I think I had four over the weekend.  They are so good.

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Another nice thing about my mom’s house is that she has a TON of toys!  Some are mine – it’s fun to see the 1980s throwbacks, like the cashier register – but some are new items that she picks up at the consignment store.  She got Henry a play kitchen for $5 – what a steal.

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Our big activity was checking out the farmer’s market at downtown Knoxville.  We had a lovely lunch at one of the restaurants and then walked around to see the vendors.  It’s a HUGE market with tons of awesome booths – we have a lot of small markets in Charlotte but nothing as big as this one.  I was jealous.

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And yes, that’s a REAL dog -  he weighs 250 pounds!  He looked like a walking cartoon.

 

We stumbled on another splash park and Henry dived in, shorts and all.

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But the best find was this popsicle stand!  His popsicles were so good.

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I had Dulce de Leche.  Henry ended up eating most of it because it was sooo good.

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And I had a Nutella later at home – it was like a Fudgesicle times a million.

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Saturday night, the Husband and I went out on a date.  It was gloooorious.  We went to a English pub and saw a movie (Guardians of the Galaxy, which was so funny and entertaining).

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We spent most of our meal discussing what we’d name our English pub if we ever opened one… We decided on The Upside-Down Turtle (good name, right?).  Did you know that there are some classic, common pub names used over and over again in England (as in, hundreds of times)?  The most common one include:  The Red Lion, The Royal Oak, The White Hart, Rose and Crown, and King’s Head.

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We rounded up the trip with yet another hike.  It was nice to stretch our legs before getting into the car, especially because we made several wrong turns on the way home and extended our drive by about an hour – ugh!

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Now, predictably, my house is in shambles, there’s a load of laundry to attend to, a pile of mail waiting to be opened, and Henry is going through “JoJo” withdrawals (he’s obsessed with my mom – big time).  Vacation is sweet, but it’s time to get back into the swing of things!

{ 22 comments }

 

  • Ashley August 18, 2014, 10:33 am

    oh my gosh- weirdest question EVER but what sunglasses are you wearing?! They wouldn’t happen to be american express ones would they?! haha my bf and I have like 5 pairs of those that we picked up for free– everyone is like “why on earth are you wearing amex sunglasses?” and we’re like uhhhh they were FREE and they look awesome! Anyway, they look exactly like yours 🙂

    • Caitlin August 18, 2014, 11:03 am

      I think they are some credit card company! Not AE though. We have a bunch of free ones too LOL

  • Katie @ Talk Less, Say More August 18, 2014, 10:58 am

    That dog next to Henry is so funny!! And I’m curious…did your mom give a reason for keeping the nail polish in the fridge?

    • Caitlin August 18, 2014, 11:03 am

      She says it keeps longer!

  • Healthhold August 18, 2014, 11:09 am

    Looks like a lovely weekend. I always love visiting my Mum to hang out for the weekend. Those pops sound so good too!

  • Reenie August 18, 2014, 11:21 am

    JoJo…. cute!! 🙂

    I though that dog was photoshopped!! 😮 Henry is adorable ~ ~

    Your appetizers ~ cheese and nuts…. looks so good.

  • Anne August 18, 2014, 11:34 am

    Dang it! I should have hit up the Farmer’s Market this weekend. Although I’m sure you were there a lot earlier than we would have been. Glad you enjoyed another trip to Knoxville! That splashpad in Market Square is always great in the summer time.

  • Chelsea @ TableForOne August 18, 2014, 11:36 am

    Spicy raspberry jam? Sounds crazy delicious. Looks like you had a wonderful time. I love little getaways!

  • Carly August 18, 2014, 3:17 pm

    My mom keeps nail polish in the fridge too! That’s hilarious!!!

  • Michelle @ A Healthy Mrs August 18, 2014, 4:11 pm

    That dog is amazing! I’ve never seen such a large dog before — my mini dachshund would have no idea what to do with him 🙂

  • Ashley August 18, 2014, 5:40 pm

    You are such a good Mama sharing your popsicle. Sharing my desserts/treats is probably something I should learn before becoming a Mom, right? I tend to smack my hubby’s hands away from mine currently . . .

  • Diane August 18, 2014, 7:33 pm

    K- talk about jealous. Sounds like a wonderful visit! I’m hoping to have one soon! U look fabulous pg! Congratulations ,by the way. Much love. D

  • Allison August 18, 2014, 8:09 pm

    That dog is precious! I want one of those popsicles…I keep trying to make my own popsicles, but they never turn out quite right. And definitely not like those ones!

  • Nicole @ Broken Road Creative August 18, 2014, 8:59 pm

    Holy crap, that dog is huuuuge! Lol 🙂

  • Megan August 19, 2014, 12:14 am

    Your mom is gorgeous! What’s her secret to the fountain of youth?! She should guest post her skin care regimen.

  • Carolina John August 19, 2014, 1:27 pm

    I love going to Knoxville, but haven’t been in years. What a fun visit with your mom!

    I bet that dog also answers to the name “Holy Shit”….

  • Kinnereth August 19, 2014, 10:06 pm

    How fun! My hubby and I also went on a date Saturday to see Guardians – I thought it was funny 🙂

  • Jason Mitchell (Popculture) August 20, 2014, 11:40 am

    Thanks for the kind words regarding the popsicles. I LOVE saturday morning farmer’s market. It’s always a great mix of “old friends” and new acquaintances. Stop by anytime you’re back in town.

  • Catherine August 21, 2014, 1:13 pm

    Crown and Goose was one of my favorites when I lived in Knoxville! Such a fun place and the cheese plate is delicious!!! It’s always fun to see bloggers go to places you’ve been 😉

  • Jolene (www.everydayfoodie.ca) August 24, 2014, 4:00 pm

    I’ve known a few people to keep their nail polish in the fridge – weird! I’ve heard it’s a myth that it makes it last longer, but who knows.

  • Amanda August 25, 2014, 6:30 pm

    That picture with the dog is hilarious!

    And what’s spicy raspberry jam?? Is it homemade or a store-bought thing?

  • Jolene @ Homespun Heritage August 25, 2014, 9:03 pm

    We recently went to Mackinac Island and struggled to find affordable eats while there…everything does cost more due to everything being shipped in via ferry and brought to the restaurants via horse drawn carriage…..but we struggled to find something that was in our large family budget. When you have 7 children going out to eat is not cheap! I thought about how cool it would be to have a food cart pulled via horse at the docks of the different ferry companies…or just wandering the streets. Would be fun!

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