Another Sister Trip In The Books. 2020

The last few days have brought a wonderful kaleidoscope of color to our little area. The trees, which I thought were turning color rather slowly, have suddenly popped out in color like you wouldn’t believe!!! Orange, red and golden leaves are everywhere. I almost can’t drive down the road without stopping to gawk at the beauty. There couldn’t have been a better time to take a Sister Trip.

I think I have mentioned before that my sisters and I take a sister trip every year. We usually go to a condominium in Gatlinburg Tennessee, which is just about seventy miles from us in the Smoky Mountains. We stay at the same condo every year. Baskins Creek Condominiums, we love this place it is just perfect for us. Our sister trip was supposed to take place about six weeks ago but that was the same time Mark had a stay at Vanderbilt Hospital for the dreaded Shingles virus. So we postponed until this past week. We checked in on Sunday and left on Wednesday. The weather was perfect. We did a few fun things and ate at some wonderful restaurants. But we mostly stayed around he condo and enjoyed each other’s company.

I have mentioned my sister Sandy to you a lot. She is my go to for everything. She helps me take care of the babies when I have to be out of town. All I have to do is call her up and say “I need your help” and she is there. She is my rock. My niece Tammy who we also call our sister goes with us every year and just rounds out our group. We don’t get to see her as much and when she is with us it is so special. But this trip sort of focused on my oldest sister Pat, well she’s the oldest since my sister Carolyn, Tammy’s mom, passed away, Pat is a hoot. Everyone that she meets loves her. She is almost seventy years old but she has such a childlike youthfulness that you would never know it. She always makes the best friends no matter where she goes. Pat is the real deal. She will tell you exactly what she thinks and doesn’t try to impress anybody. Her husband passed away many years ago and me and the other sisters have sort of taken over helping watch out for her. There is nothing we wouldn’t do for each other. O.K. you get the picture, the sisters are incredibly close.

Pat told me that she wanted a cell phone, not a flip phone or anything like she had had in the past. She wanted a phone like me and Sandy had. A phone that she could text and get FaceBook and watch TikTok videos. I know, I am a bit ashamed about TikTok it was my doing. I introduced her and she loves it. Sooooo I got her a smart phone. She is not techno savvy at all and she will be the first to tell you that. She had never texted in her life.

I got the phone a day or two before our trip so that we could help teach her how to use it. And I knew her neighbor and good friend Kathy would help her once she got home. I have to tell you she loved the phone and within thirty minutes she was saying “was that my phone?” to see her so excited over something and learn something new just did my heart good. We set up the texting and calling first and got her used to that and then I introduced her to FaceBook. When we started going through the list to see who she would send friend requests to she agonized over many of them. She said “well I don’t really know them that well should I be sending a friend request?” Isn’t that an age old question? We had so much fun just watching her discover all of this. I am afraid we may have overwhelmed her a little. I talked to her right after we got back from the trip and she was using it, and then I got a text from her yesterday so that is a good sign.

While we were on our trip, we went to the Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, it was very interesting and I could have spent hours in there. We so wanted to visit Anakeesta Theme Park, but the line and the crowds were crazy and we chose not to wait to get in. Another time for sure. We walked across the street from Anakeesta and had nachos, chicken tenders and Bahama Mamas at the Daiquiri Shak. It was so yummy!!! We sat at an open air table and enjoyed the river running right beside us. It was perfect. And of course we did a little shopping. Pat and Tammy are not big on shopping.

And as always the Sister Trip seems to end almost before it gets started. We headed home on Wednesday and went back to our day to day. We still laugh over our time together and will until next year.

But as I mentioned the colors in our area are absolutely beautiful!!!

Remember the link party I did a few weeks ago and Linked to The Weekly Smile? I am asking what made you smile this week? For me it would be teaching my sister how to use her first smart phone and getting to spend several uninterrupted days with my sisters.

I hope you have a wonderful week.

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!1