Once we finally got on the ferry over to Liberty island it was a nice ride. We decided to stay below instead of being out in the sun on the upper deck. We had just about enough sun while waiting for the ferry.

This french chick was much larger than she looks. I was surprised.

In the picture below it looks like she is about to give that cloud some freedom.

Long story short we walked around the statue a lot, took a lot of pictures, and were basically exhausted. We skipped Ellis Island, we will see it when we go back for Jennie’s 60th birthday.

Once back in the city we had lunch and then headed back down to ground zero. We took a few more pictures and visited the 9/11 memorial center. I also saw Steve Nash walking down the street with his kids.

Our hotel was about a block from Wooster St. Social Club, which is the tattoo studio for the TLC show New York Ink.

We walked down to it, but then chickened out about going inside. Jennie wanted to get a pretty sweet UK tattoo, but I wouldn’t let her.

The next day was our final day in NYC.

Once we got to Central Park, we found the concert and walked right up to the front.

We stood around for a bit until the anchors got there and started to do their thing.

I will have to admit it was a lot of fun just watching how the whole show worked behind the scenes. It seems like a ton of work to throw that together every morning. George Snuffleupagus did a segment in which we were right behind him.

So that was our moment to shine!

Oh yeah, some country girl played some country music at some point.

After the concert we decided to head over to Rockefeller Center and head up to the Top of the Rock. It was a lot of fun and some great views of the city.

Unlike the Empire State Building, this outdoor observation deck had some glass all the way around it. So it also made for some great photo ops.

After our fun on the Top of the Rock we got some tickets to the NBC studio tour. This allowed us to see the SNL stage as well as where they tape Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. They didn’t let us take any pictures, but it was awesome to see those sets. It was pretty awesome though, I did get my picture with Matt Lauer of the Today Show. All those TV guys are shorter and flatter in real life.

We wanted to squeeze one more thing in before we called it a night. It started raining pretty bad so we thought maybe a museum might be in order. So we head to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). With all the rain and the fact it was free on Fridays, we weren’t the only ones going there. It was very close quarters, but we enjoyed seeing the art.

Tomorrow we check out some huge french lady.

The lines weren’t long and it seemed like we made it through pretty quickly. We had great views of the city from all angles.

Our tour guide, a cab driver from the city, told us about everything we were seeing. He was pretty small and actually fit inside a small plastic phone looking thing. Jennie is holding him up to her ear below.

The next stop on our trip was Times Square. Want to know why it was called Times Square? Me too.

We were heading to Times Square to hit up the TKTS ticket booth for some discount Broadway tickets. We had hoped to see Wicked, but that wasn’t happening. The only tickets for that show were about 250 bucks each. So we ended up getting tickets to Sister Act.

We also had the chance to get our names, faces, torsos and what not in lights. If you bought something at American Eagle they would take your picture and throw it up on their huge screen in Times Square. So Jennie got a couple discount t-shirts and we got our picture taken. After signing a couple autographs we moved on.

After some rest back at the hotel it was time to head to our Broadway show. See it even says it on the sign, BROADWAY.

The show was good. I think we both were expecting some of the songs from the movie, but it was all new music. Still very fun to watch. After the show we got some pizza from one of the pizza places they featured on last season’s celebrity apprentice.

After the pizza I answered a couple questions from a random teacher on the streets. While doing that a cab came by and picked us up. We headed back to the hotel and went to bed.

It was the greatest birthday Jennie has ever had ever. Tomorrow we make our national television debut.

We headed out on Wednesday morning about 10.

We got to the airport and scanned the credit card to check in, it asked if we wanted to upgrade to first class,  it wasn’t that expensive, so we did it. It’s vacation!

Then we enjoyed a little breakfast, hopped on the plane and headed to NYC.

The flight there was uneventful and no one famous (other than us) was in first. Flights that short, the upgrade to first probably isn’t worth it. I am sure longer flights are more expensive though.

We took a cab from the airport to our hotel, the Sheraton Tribeca. Something I was wondering was what TriBeCa stood for. Anyone here know? Anyone? It stands for “Triangle below Canal Street”.

We rested for a bit then took a walk down to the WTC site. The new tower is big and almost looks complete. The memorial is set to open this Sept. You couldn’t see much of it, but it does look like it will be very nice.

From there we walked on down to a dock area and took a look at the Statue of Liberty.

From there we walked on down to Bowling Green park which is in the financial district.

The north end of the park has the famous Charging Bull sculpture.

That was it for day 1, we did quite a bit of touristy stuff for just getting in the city about 2 pm.

Family Feud

We rested and had dinner at a pizza place. Then we went to the shore to see the sunset and take some pictures. It was very pretty. Brody got to step in sand for the first time, but he didn’t care for it too much.

We will hit the road again tomorrow. It will be the last day of driving for us. Yay! Well, riding for me, driving for Chad. Thanks for doing all the driving, Chad!

Thursday, June 16th- Ottawa
This morning, we made the final drive to Ottawa. It took about 6 hours, I guess. It seemed like we stopped quite a bit but I don’t know. I got my second helping of poutine. It seems to be on the menu of every restaurant here. I’m just glad we’re done driving. We got to Chad’s uncle’s house, Gilles, where I met him and his wife Susie, their daughter Lisanne, their son, Alain, and his wife and daughter, Mel and Emma. We had a wonderful home cooked dinner and played outside with the kids. Emma is so cute. She speaks more French than English, so I didn’t know most of what she was saying. I got to ride in the back seat with her and she was teaching me words in French, but her mom said they weren’t right. Alain and Mel are letting us stay in their home. It’s very pretty. We took it easy tonight, but I think tomorrow will have more in store.

Friday, June 17th- Ottawa
This morning we went to Gilles and Susie’s for breakfast. It was quite a spread, complete with veal sausage. Then, we left for our day out. We first stopped to where we could look over the water to see Quebec.

View of Quebec

We then went to the market area. It had outdoor stands as well as a lot of shops. Ashley and Brock tried a beaver tail, which was a pastry kind of like a funnel cake. We walked around a lot and went to the Parliament. Susie told us they were getting ready for Canada Day. Prince William and Kate are supposed to attend.

Chad and Jennie in front of Parliament

Parliament

We stopped back at the house for some lunch and to drop Brody off for a nap. Then, we headed to the mall to do some more shopping. I got a couple things from Roots, a Canadian retail store.

Tonight, we came back to Alain and Mel’s for dinner. They had great food and dessert. We took a few pictures, but unfortunately not with our camera again. Emma danced for us and Brody joined in a little. They were so cute.

Saturday, June 18th- Ottawa/Home
This morning, we said our goodbyes to everyone and made the trip home. The airport provided my last Tim Horton’s treat for a while. I don’t know how many times we ate there during the week. We flew from Ottawa to Chicago, then to Nashville. The ride to Chicago was a little bumpy and did not feel well, but it didn’t last long.

I am glad to be home, but the trip was so fun. I am so glad I got to meet everyone. It is nice to now put the faces with the names. Everyone is so lovely and I am excited to get to visit again. THANK YOU to all of you who made me feel so welcomed and comfortable! And THANK YOU Jerry Webb for planning this whole trip!

On the way to Timmins from Sudbury

We checked in to the beautiful Cedar Meadows resort and spa. We won’t be taking advantage of the spa though.

Chad and Jennie at Cedar Meadows

We went to Chad’s uncle Paul’s house where he had dinner for us. A lot of family were there. I met Paul, his wife Lisanne, and kids Kelsey and Nick; uncle Peter and his wife Aline. Their son, Richard, his wife Abby, and their kids Reece and Elyxiana (that probably isn’t spelled correctly) came too. I also met uncle Ray, his wife Julie, and Chad’s Mamere (grandmother). They had so much wonderful food for us. We spent the evening outside and it was so nice. Some even went swimming. Chad and Brock also played video games with Nick and Kelsey. Everyone was so welcoming and kind. It was a really fun time with family.

Tuesday, June 14th- Timmins
We slept in this morning until about 9:15 and then Chad and I went for a run. It was nice (and needed because of all the food). The scenery and weather were great. We then went back to get ready and left to pick up Mamere for lunch. Paul met us all there too. After lunch, Mamere suggested taking Brody to the lake nearby to see the ducks. What a good idea! He loved them. He chased them and giggled. He would have gotten in the water if Ashley hadn’t stopped him.

Brody watching the ducks

This afternoon, back at the resort, we went on a wilderness tour, which was a tractor ride around the property. It was a lot of fun to see the animals, but it was really fun to see Brody’s reaction. He was very interested but not quite brave enough to get too close or touch any animals. He acted like he wanted to, but he wouldn’t. We saw a reindeer, swans, elk, moose, and bison. We even got the elk to eat right out of our hands. It was neat.

Ashley with Brody looking at a moose

Chad with bison

Chad and Jennie with a moose

Jennie feeding an elk

This evening, we went to Paul’s again and ordered pizza from Don’s. Abby had suggested it last night and everyone raved about it. They told us that it was Shania Twain’s favorite pizza place. It was really good! Then, we went to Mamere’s home for a while and visited Ray and Julie’s house as well. We went back to Paul’s for a bit and said our goodbyes until next time. I can’t get over how sweet everyone was and how comfortable they made me feel.

Jennie, Chad, Mamere, Ashley, and Brock

Friday, June 10th-Nashville/Toronto
We finally got in to Toronto tonight. Our flight was scheduled for 10:45 this morning. So we loaded up and left from Bowling Green with Ashley, Brock, and Brody at 7:30. After checking in and going through security, we waited at the gate. We heard on the loud speaker that the flight was overbooked and they needed 3 volunteers to get on a later flight. The offer: $800 cash each. We took the deal. We could only get it for the 3 of us, but we all got on the later flight and we will split it equally. They also gave us lunch vouchers, so we ate and spent 6 hours in the Nashville airport. It wasn’t too bad. I took my iPad and downloaded some games. Brody was really good. He didn’t fuss hardly at all, even on the plane.
This is mine and Brody’s first time in Canada. It will be nice to meet all the family that I’ve heard about and be in a country I’ve never been to before. We are staying in a hotel in Toronto tonight and then we will hit the road tomorrow morning. Jerry and Peggy drove up early with our bags and rented a car for us. Basically, all I am seeing in Toronto is the airport and the back of my eyelids.

Saturday, June 11th- Sudbury
This morning we got on the road and I got to experience 2 Canadian treats- Tim Hortons and poutine! We got breakfast at Tim Hortons and I only got a bagel, but I did try Chad’s breakfast sandwich. Later, I got a taste of the doughnuts by trying a timbit (like a donut hole) or 2. I’m a fan. I can see why they are everywhere here. I’m sure we’ll go a few more times before we leave. On the road trip from Toronto to Sudbury, we stopped at a fishing shop and grabbed a snack. Chad and I shared some poutine. I had heard of it, but this was my first time trying this interesting dish. It is French fries with gravy and cheese. It was good!

Poutine

In Sudbury, I met Paavo and Monique at their home and I also got to meet Matti, Gillian, Leah, Brendan, and Richard. We ate (a lot) and visited. They were all so nice and it was a lot of fun. Leah loved playing with Brody, and I think he loved the attention and energy. We are staying in a hotel here for the next 2 nights. The first room they gave already had someone in it. I’m glad that’s never happened to me! It’s a nice hotel, which is good because we all need to get some rest.

Sunday, June 12th- Sudbury 59 degrees (rainy in the morning)
Today, Monique and Paavo took us to see the Big Nickel. I’ve heard about it from Chad, Ashley, and Brock. It was exactly what it sounds like… A big nickel. It was very chilly- high of 59 degrees and rainy. Later we went to a farmers market and the mall. We didn’t get anything but some food. We must have been tired because we then went back and Chad and I took a nap for a couple hours.
For dinner, we went out with Paavo, Monique, Gillian, Richard, Leah, and Brendan. Then we went to their house for yummy cake and ice cream. We visited and watched Leah and Brendan play with Brody. Leah even sang to us. She has a beautiful voice! We took some pictures (just not with our camera) and said our goodbyes. It was a great visit!

Ashley, Monique, and Chad at the Big Nickel

Jennie and Chad at the Big Nickel

We parked and walked to the falls.  It was so pretty with the bright sun causing a rainbow.  The whole park was beautiful, and we saw more fall colors in the leaves than we did in Gatlinburg.  The only eyesore was all the trash that had been collected along the banks.  We read that it had all come from people in the park throwing trash in the water and it catching up stream.  They do clean-ups throughout the year and it still collects that much trash.  It’s just crazy to think about.  I hope it was all just an accident because I would hate to think people just throw trash into a river whenever they are done with it.  We walked and took pictures, toured the gift shop, and then sat on some rocks by the water.  It was so gorgeous and a nice way to enjoy the beautiful fall weather.  Here are some pictures from that gorgeous day.

That Sunday night, we didn’t do much.  After we checked out the condo, we headed to the main street in Gatlinburg and drove for a bit looking at everything.  We drove to Pigeon Forge and had dinner at the Smokey Mountain Brewery, which had been recommended to us by a couple different people.  Chad had the buffalo chicken pizza and liked it a lot.  I had a calzone that was pretty good too.  It was rainy when we left there, but we looked around the Christmas Place and picked up a few things from Kroger.  At Kroger, we talked to a lady who we thought was in an information booth.  We mentioned we were interested in going to the Dixie Stampede, so she told us that we could get tickets for free if we go to a presentation for a resort.  We talked about it, and decided that 2 hours of our time was worth the $90 it would cost to buy the tickets, so we signed up for the next morning.

At 9:30 the next morning, we were at the presentation, ready to say no thank you as much as we needed to.  I was surprised to find out that the sales people meet with us by ourselves and not in a large group.  I thought I could play on my phone during a presentation, but this was more like an interview or a friendly chat.  We ended up staying there for 3 hours, but we got our tickets.  I didn’t find the experience all that bad until it started to get to hour 2, then I was ready to go.  We toured one of the resorts, and I felt like we were walking way too slow.  Then, at the end, we had to wait for a manager for a while because they were all busy.  It was interesting to find out about timeshares and how they work with the point system.  We are actually looking to find out more about them.  There was just no way that we were going to commit to something that day.

After we left there, we had lunch at McAllister’s and headed to Cade’s Cove.  This was a trail that you drive around to see historic buildings, beautiful landscape, and wild animals.  The hopes were that we would get to see a bear, but no such luck.  The animals that we saw were squirrels, a dear, chipmunks, and turkeys that trotted in front of our car as they crossed the street.  It was a lovely day and the tour was pretty fun.

Next, we headed back to town and stopped at Laurel Falls.  This was suggested by my dad as a place that we should go, so we decided to check it out.  We had to hike 1.3 miles up to the falls, but it wasn’t too bad, and we had some lovely chats along the way.  I was surprised how close you could actually get to the waterfalls.  You could take a shower in it if you wanted.

As we got back in town, we parked so that we could walk around and enjoy all the things to see and shops to go in.  We had dinner at No Way Jose’s, which was pretty good and fast.  We walked around and shopped, not really buying anything except for a few candy treats.  We also rode the Sky Lift.  It was fun to see from such a high point, and it was cute how nervous Chad was at first.  At the top, they take your picture.  Chad and I kissed for our picture, and it was really cute, but we didn’t spend the $14  it cost to get it.  You’ll just have to imagine how cute it was.  We walked what we felt was the entire strip and then headed back to the car.  Ober Gatlinburg was closed, but we talked about going back so we could ride the Alpine Slide.  That would have been fun, but I actually forgot about it until just now.

The next day, we went to the Tanger Outlet to shop around.  There were so many stores, we were there for hours.  We took a break for lunch at the Chop House.  It was good food, but I think I ate too much.  We probably should have split something.  While shopping, I purchased 3 sweaters and a couple of sportswear items.  I think I got a good deal on them.  Chad didn’t find anything that was worth his money, but then again, he doesn’t like to spend money on clothes.  I actually found plenty of things that I wanted, but there weren’t as many good buys as I had hoped for.

That evening, Chad and I went to the Dixie Stampede.  I had been before when I was in high school, and I remembered it as being kind of fun, but Chad had never been.  So, with our free tickets, we went.  We weren’t supposed to take pictures, but we got a few before the show began.  It was a fun experience.  All of the food (a whole chicken, a slice of pork tenderloin, corn on the cob, creamy vegetable soup, a cheddar biscuit, and an apple turnover) had to be eaten without any silverware.  They sat us on the South side of the arena and we were in competition with the North side.  There was a show with horses and pigs and chickens to watch as we ate.  There was music too, but I was disappointed that not all of it was live.  I thought it was very obvious that most of the people were lip syncing.  There were goofy things that they did and we cheered on the south.  It was a good, fun time- right up our alley.

After the show, we went back to our condo and went swimming and hot-tubbing.  We had lots of fun playing around in the pool and then relaxing in the hot tub.

The next morning was check out and time to leave.  All of the garbage cans outside had been overturned, and a guy cleaning up told me that they had 3 little bears who got into them.  I’m sad we missed our chance to see a bear, but I’m glad we didn’t run into them on the way back from the pool.  It was wonderful to get away with Chad for a while and really spend some good time together.  We enjoyed our time in Gatlinburg so much, and I’m sure we will be back again.

#9 He tucks me in with a kiss EVERY night and answers when I call for my “tucker.”

#8 To appease me, he wears his snowman pajama pants at Christmas time.

#7 He takes his Harry Potter book with him everywhere “just in case” there is a chance he can read it.

#6 When he knows how my sentence is going to end, he mouths along with my words without realizing it.

#5 He throws a little hissy fit when he has to go back to work after lunch.

#4 He gave me this t-square to help with Uppercase Living.

#3 He says, “Look, my socks match my outfit.”

#2 He actually believed that it was me under the covers and told the pillows, “wakey, wakey.”

#1 Just look at that face.

I love you, cutie!