Vacation video...

So, this is a video of everyone at the Parthenon, there isn't too much special about the video except for Ryan being in it...She does her walking and not listening routine and is just too cute...I don't really need more than that...

Volunteer State, part two...

This is her chipmunk/monkey face...gotta pass the time in the car somehow...

I thought she looked like a gremlin with her wild hair...
Walking around the Hermitage Plantation...

"I am NOT a crook!!! I just like wearing my jeans with my PJs..."

The Hermitage...

The Parthenon at Centennial Park, Nashville TN

Ryan looks like she is in the middle of a dance step, look right & step left...

Swinging at the Parthenon...

Entrance to Centennial Park

The Parthenon, totally awesome!

After we finished taking Adam through all the country music places, it was MY turn to vacation in the Volunteer State. Yep, that meant history museums, mansions, plantations and the only standing replica of the Greek Parthenon in the United States. It was awesome for me and Joe seemed to enjoy it too.

We started off at the Parthenon and couldn't tour inside because Joe and I both left our wallets in the car! So, we just walked around outside and let Ryan play and wear herself out so she would be ready for a nap. It worked. Then we went to the Belmont Mansion on the campus of Belmont University, its a hoity toity mansion that is the center of the university. We couldn't take pictures during the tour but it was really awesome.

After that we went to The Hermitage, the home of President Andrew Jackson. We couldn't take pictures inside the mansion, but we did tour the grounds for over an hour and took in all the scenery including the mansion, the first house, the garden and the plantation cemetary where the president and his wife along with family members and their slaves are buried. The Hermitage also boasts a tulip garden and a family chapel but we didn't get to go there because things were closing down. I would've loved to go there. I got a couple pictures and a video or two but like I said before, its really no fun to take pics of buildings when we aren't part of the pictures. This concludes my posts on family vacation 2009! Until next time!!!

Vacation in the Volunteer State, part one...

Did you even know that was stitched on the inside of the car?!?!!!!

Live at the Ryman Auditorium, home of the Grand Ole Opry!
One of the greats, Patsy Cline...

The Drifter, Hank Williams...

Always the gentleman, George Strait...

I have always wanted this jeep, one day...one day...

The General Lee, another one of the greats

Welcome to Cooter's Garage/Museum...

Ben Jones, aka Cooter! Isn't that a hilarious name!

Pieces of history...oh yeah...

Ok, so we had a great time in Tennessee, you might not realize it by looking at the pictures but we did have a good time. I didn't take a lot of pictures because it doesn't make much sense to take pictures of buildings and statues when we aren't in them and since Ryan isn't much of a tourist just yet, it was wieard trying to get her to stand still for pictures. I did the best I could, hopefully the next vacation will be more family picture-friendly.

So, Tennessee consisted of all that Nashville had to offer including but not limited to the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Ryman Auditorium, the Grand Ole Opry and Cooter's Dukes of Hazzard Museum!!! Yeah, Cooter has his own musuem complete with his truck, Daisy's jeep and the GENERAL LEE!!! Too cool...too bad that none of the stars were there the day we went. I was kinda disappointed with Nashville because I expected to see some stars but I didn't, that was a bummer. We did tour all the music places but we'll know next time to get guided tours because I feel like I spent a lot of money and didn't get a whole lot when I did a DIY tour. We had a good time either way though. Here are a couple random pictures from the music city portion of the vacation...

The rest of West Virginia

Traveling to Tennessee

At the playpark on the bank of the Ohio River

Always givin' kisses

Chillin with great Grandpa Bobby

Joe is trying to take credit for keeping the girls "quiet"

After our fun time at the Wayne County Fair, we kinda tried to stay on dry land. We went shopping and toured Marshall University and tried to go to an amusement park but it was closed. Oour last day in WV, Libby took us around town to visit Mr. Bob's parents. I met his mother and his father for the very first time, they were really nice visits. We got pictures with Joe's grandad but no one brought a camera when we met his grandma, probably because it was raining. So we didn't get pictures with Lucia but hopefully one day we will go back and be able to get pictures. Here are a couple pictures of Mr. Bob's dad with all the kids. After that, we packed our bags and everyone headed home. Joe, Ryan, Adam and I headed to Tennessee.

Wayne Co Fair pictures

This is the only ride I could ride because they didn't require shoes!

Ben is excited to be on this ride!

Even Leah and Amelia went without shoes

The last ride of the day, Ryan is the only one with shoes. She was NOT allowed to walk around in the mudd...

Ryan really wants to get down, Daddy obviously said no.

Chris (left) and Matt (right, in MAN-pris) after cleaning off their feet as best as they could

Emilee (left) and Leah (right) are chatting up the locals

Grandma Libby and Ryan

Adam, Joe, Grandma Libby and Ryan waiting for the music to begin

Wayne County Fair...

Ahhh...the Wayne County Fair. This was our first adventure that Libby had planned for us in WV. And boy, was it ever an adventure. The whole fair was suited on a lot about the size of a football field and that included rides and games and musical shows and food and parking and anything else that a fair includes (except for freaky "smallest woman alive" side shows and such). Well the Wayne County Fair was a special fair, I say that most lovingly. The fairgrounds were flooded, literally. By the time we left, everyone but Joe and Adam and Libby had their pants rolled up to the knees and bare feet covered in MUDD. It was easy enough, most of the fair, the typical tilt-a-whirls and gravitrons along with kid's train rides and fishy ferris wheels. We all walked around and rode all the rides except the ones that you had to be wearing shoes to get on. Uggh, can you imagine the nerve? I was holding my shoes in my hands, I just wasn't willing to put them on my muddy feet!!!

Sounds pretty tame, right? For the most part it was but there was one part I haven't mentioned yet. You see, before we got out to enjoy the fair, we had to park our car. The parking attendant motioned Joe into the lot closest to the music pavillion and the other cars in our caravan further down the field. I guess they assumed that because we were driving an SUV, we had 4X4. Well, we do not and as Joe begins to drive into the "parking lot" he gets stuck. Not more than 10 feet into the lot he gets stuck. I immediately jump out of the car, assess the damage and while the locals are attempting to pull our car out of the mudd, I get an interview with the driver of the stuck vehicle. I don't know how much you will be able to understand, but I think it is totally worth it. Needless to say, this is the highlight of the Wayne County Fair for me!!!

Here we go...

I am ready to go!!!

We have officially packed for, attended, eaten too much and driven home from our first FAMILY VACATION!!! I need a vacation just to recouperate from that, I have said it before and I will say it after every future vacation ever taken...I don't understand how my parents or parents in general do this for their kids. I only have one child so far, I can't imagine how we'll get along with more than one.

Ok, so thats over and even though I may mention it again, I will try to talk more about our family vacation. And when I say family, I mean FAMILY. Joe and I have wanted to visit Tennessee for a while now and this year we decided to go. Well, Joe's sisters Emilee and Leah decided they were gonna go to West Virginia to visit grandma Libby and asked if we could make a stop there and go on to Tennessee after that. We of course decided to go and spend time with Libby so we all packed up and headed up to WV. We had a good time and did a lot of cool things. Joe and I also took his brother Adam with us. In the end, almost the entire Longfellow clan landed in WV for almost a week. Needless to say, more than chaos ensued, but it was all in good fun. Stay tuned to read all about it!