DollyWood...been there, done that, wanna go back!

Last week we went to DollyWood! Nestled in the mountains of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, it's amazing how quickly you get away from the "tourist trap strip" of the city and feel like you are just wandering in a secluded mountain area. The rides were great, a nice mix of water rides (very welcome in the summer heat) and thrill rides. Mystery Mine is the best! With two upside down loops, one with a two-second hang time, it was my favorite! Logan and I were also able to take in a show...wait for it...Zoboomafoo! The Kratt brothers were there and put on a fun show with a lemur, beaver, zebra, porcupine, kangaroo, fox snake, and python. It was definately worth the trip, and I will be going back again soon!

Rock City Rocks!

It's been a while...let's get this thing going again. About a week or so ago, Logan and I took a trip to Rock City, one of the most scenic spots in Tennessee, (which is pretty funny, since I think it's actually on the Georgia part of Lookout Mountain). We started our morning with the most delicious muffin you could ever find (really, it's that good) and a banana berry Froozie. That's at Greenlife, and the muffin is this Blueberry one made with spelt flour instead of wheat flour. YUM!

Then, we headed up to Rock City and enjoyed a day of birds, pictures, swinging bridges, scenic views, and CREEPY fairy tale characters and moonshine-making gnomes. Oh, Rock City! I even got locked in the fairy tale alleyway, but I have mad skills and I picked the lock and managed to escape.

All in all, a fantastic day!

Do the Dew!

Here's a quick (but rather funny) story about what happened to me this weekend.
I knew that I needed to stay up late Saturday night and get some laundry done. A few weeks ago the washer was broken, and I had about 6 loads of laundry (including bedding) that had piled up during that time. With no time or energy to do it previously, I planned to pull an all-nighter and finish it all in one day. I stopped at Food Lion on the way home to buy some much needed Diet Mountain Dew to keep me company that night. However, the 2 liters were $1.75 each, and the Food Lion Brand was only $0.88. I went with the cheaper of the two, which was cleverly called "Diet Mountain Lion". Big Mistake. The caffeine in the soda did the drink, but it was like drinking cough syrup mixed with orange juice and club soda. Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.
I drank half the bottle. I needed to stay awake and had nothing else, so I gagged down enough to keep me up until 3 am, then I brushed my teeth like never before, trying to get that awful taste out of my mouth.
The next time I need to stay awake by way of soda, I am doing the Dew. I can't be snobby about the price on soda, because it's worth it to pay for quality. No cheap knock-off brands of Diet Mountain Dew for me, I need the real stuff!

Happy (and a little sleepy and dopey and bashful, all rolled into one!)

It's been a while since I have said hello, so here's an update on me. I just started a new blog.....(yeah, another one!) and I think everyone should check it out. It's at http://a-loribeth-original.blogspot.com/ and it is a place where I can put down my thoughts into stories and poems and articles. My plan is to type up some older things I have written, (from elementary school, even) and to also include new material, as with the first post. I have considered myself a writer for a while, but I haven't written in a while, if that makes sense. I hope some of you who look at it will comment, I like feedback, and I hope you all enjoy reading it.

I also have the blog at http://bugbeth.blogspot.com/ which is a memory page for things I cherish that I would like others to know about. Check it out, too, if you have time!

Nathan graduated! That doesn't happen every day-but I am SO very proud of him and can't believe my little brother is done with high school!

Now, for what's going on with me: The play "A Streetcar Named Desire" ended on May 24, and it was bittersweet. I am sad it's over, but excited for upcoming audtions for "Steel Magnolias" on June 8th!

Speaking of which, June is pretty much here, and that means summer time, swimming, cookouts, roadtrips, and summer camp. I can hardly wait! I get to officially kick off the summer with a baseball game with three of the most important guys in my life, tomorrow night, actually! If only I could get my dad and other brother to go, it would be perfect! I am very happy and look forward to a wonderful summer-spending time with family, friends, and the most amazing guy in the world (aside from Kermit, he's technically a frog, so that doesn't count!). I say "good times: ready or not, here I come!" Check back for photos of upcoming adventures!

A Hole in a Mountain

Okay, so it has been a while since I have posted on here, I know, and so much has happened. I will keep this post focused, though, and tell you about today's trip into Petty Johns Cave in North Georgia. I started out with some crazy gear: no kneepads, a very bright headlamp, extra-large gloves, shoes without much tread, and a bicycle helmet..............but guess what? They all worked just fine. The cave was very wet, seeing as this area has had a lot of rain for the past two weeks, and the mud was incredibly sticky. I stopped twice to tie my shoes on tighter because they would get stuck in the mud and my foot would come out of them when I tried to take the next step! There were lots of passageways in there, all marked with arrows of different colors, probably identifying several different routes. Most that we found proved too narrow for all of us to get through, so it's good we didn't go with a destination in mind, we just tried out 4 or 5 paths, all of which we decided we wanted to know more about before we barreled down them. I had a blast, I was covered in mud from head (and hair) to toe, and I loved how quiet it was inside. The only things that would've made it more enjoyable, would be having less trash in there (people are messy) and having a certain someone there with me. That definately won't be the last time I go caving, but I think I should invest in some better equipment before I crawl in a cave again!

STELLAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, if you have seen "A Streetcar Named Desire" by the great Tennessee Williams, then you know what I am talking about with the title of this post. If you haven't seen it, then you really need to! I am working on that play currently at a community theatre, where I play (very convincingly) a young negro woman, a downtrodden mexican woman, and a strange nurse. (More information and photos to come) Needless to say, that is why my blogging has been pretty pathetic. I want more hours in the day so I can at least put something up on my blog.
Opening night was FABULOUS! It was a great show and the audience was very receptive. Two shows down, 8 more to go. There's no business like show business!

I am Two Dozen

So I recently celebrated my 24th birthday...I say recent, but it was really a month ago...I am so slow with the blogging thing! Anyway, it was a good birthday. I spent the weekend at a Christian Women's Retreat and had a great time relaxing, meeting new people, and getting away from all of life's stresses for a little while.

I didn't ask for anything really, but I got a loaf of freshly made sourdough bread from my favorite bakery, some scented bath salts and soaps, a cute penguin towel, a wonderful dark chocolate cake with cool whip icing, and a stuffed animal penguin from Port Lockroy in ANTARCTICA! (Yep, a co-worker got to go to Antarctica for 2 weeks last month!)

I don't feel that much older, although I realize how fast time is flying by. I plan to not let 24 go by as fast as 23 did...I want to enjoy the little things more and be grateful for my job (I am so, so blessed to do something I love) and my friends (they are so supportive) and my family (a little goofy but I love them all) and all that God gives to me (too numerous to list).