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Every year, Chris’s family goes to Gatlinburg after Christmas. We went several years prior to Zoe, but haven’t been since she was born. I figured that this year was a great age to start going on trips like this!

We were up there for 7 days and we got to do a lot of things that we love! We walked around downtown a few times, being sure that we stopped by a few of our favorite stores, grabbed a farkle dog and foot-long corn dog at Fannie Farkles, had hot chocolate from the Donut Friar, and played many games at the Space Needle arcade!

Zoe was obsessed with all the snowmen around downtown, and needed photographed with all of them. So cute!

The arcade was definitely one of Zoe’s favorite things to do. Is she our kid or what?

We went mini-golfing at Crave, which was a really cute indoor/outdoor place that was ice cream themed. We even got Zoe an ice cream bowl with her name on it for home.

We visited The Island in Pigeon Forge twice. The first time, we shopped around the stores, Zoe’s favorite being the toy store! We played games at the arcade there, got some yummy cheese fries at Poynor’s Pommes Frites, rode the merry-go-round and Zoe talked me into riding the huge Ferris Wheel….despite my crippling fear of heights. Which was honestly challenged the entire trip with all the switchbacks and steep mountain roads with no guard rails. White knuckle driving at it’s finest! I was proud for conquering that fear, and got some amazing pictures and views from the top!

The second visit to The Island involved eating at Paula Deen’s restaurant. OMG!!! The food was so so so so good! We lucked out and only had about a 15-minute wait and were seated right next to the windows with beautiful views of the whole area. When we were leaving, the wait was up to almost 2 hours.

One of my favorite things about the trip was getting to meet up with Andrea!!! I don’t even remember if it was on her blog, or on Instagram that she mentioned she was going to be there at the same time as me…and as soon as I read that I messaged her immediately. A meet up had to happen! We met in The Village in Downtown Gatlinburg and had hot chocolate and donuts from The Donut Friar. Chris and Zoe were with me, since we were going to do other things down there after and both of them even commented on how sweet and genuine she was. She brought Zoe a dog that has basically followed us around everywhere since. And you know pictures had to go down. We are bloggers!

We ate at No Way Jose’s and Loco Burro in downtown Gatlinburg, Mama’s Farmhouse and Bennett’s Pit BBQ while we were there as well.

We went gem mining twice. I am on the lookout for a really cool way to display these for Zoe in her room.

And we visited Ripley’s Believe It or Not and the Aquarium while we were there.

I hate that I didn’t get to go shopping at the outlets, or eat at Apple Barn while we were there. We will just have to make a trip another time soon with Zoe! It was insane how crowded it was at Christmas this year. It is always really crowded, but it seemed even more so this time! I would like to visit another time of year when we can fit more in.

And I have to share the amazing views the last day. We were above the fog. It was so thick, you couldn’t see anything driving up the mountain the night before. And in the morning, it almost looked like a white lake. Incredible!!!!

Hey all! Happy New Year! (Half a month into the new year, whatever). Today I am linking up with Steph and Jana for the first SUYB of this decade! I want you to take note that I have TWO books from Netgalley read this month! I am really trying to clean off that shelf!

For I Have Sinned (Charley Davidson 1.5) by Darynda Jones

I am officially obsessed with this series. Dare I say I like it even better than Stephanie Plum?! Crazy, I know! For I Have Sinned is such a short read, I had it done in like 30 minutes. But man, does it pack an emotional punch!!!!

Bottom Line: If you like cozy mysteries, definitely check this out. There is a paranormal vibe to it, but done very well.

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

I loved The Kiss Quotient, and really tried to leave that one behind so I didn’t go into this one with too high expectations. I loved Khai, I really did. And I really like his brother Quan. Esme went back and forth for me as the leading lady. I liked her alright, and I really liked this story…she just fell a little flat for me. Maybe I was mad at her for keeping her secret for so dang long. Ohhhh and Khai’s mother!!! Loved her too!! I also enjoyed that we got a little bit of Michael from the first one in here.

Bottom Line: So I didn’t love this quite as much as the first, but still a really good read and I cant wait to read the third!

The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren

I love Christina Lauren, so I was really excited to receive the ARC of this one. I finished it in just a few sittings, it was that good! It sort of had The Hating Game vibes a little bit. Now, I do want to say two things I took issue with while reading this book. I feel like the attraction build up fell a little flat. Like I wanted there to be more, it sort of was just sudden. Also, James does something that I don’t think I would be very ok with. I understand he mostly had good intentions, but it was sort of anti-climatic for being one of his major hurdles of the book. But the plot of an HGTV show and two assistants having to work together to keep their intolerable bosses inline was a good plot.

Bottom Line: Read it!

**I received a copy of The Honey-Don’t List from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**

Shrill by Lindy West

I have seen a lot of raving reviews for this book, so I thought I would check it out. I didn’t know who Lindy West was before reading the book, but she seemed like an interesting person. While I appreciate that she has a platform to speak out for the things that she stands for…and I think that is great, I just didn’t care for this book. I couldn’t really connect with her. The writing was awful and all over the place. Several chapters talked about her being overweight and all the fat shaming, and I get that. But it was to the point it was self indulgent and just seemed like complaining.

Bottom Line: I think if you are a fan of hers, you would probably like this book. The writing style just wasn’t my cup of tea. I love that she has a platform and I know lots of people can relate to her. I just felt like the book fell flat and I couldn’t really connect with it. I got bored and sort of skimmed through parts.

Brooklynaire by Sarina Bowen

This is my first from this author. I liked her writing style. I really wanted Nate and Becca to get together! I liked how witty the characters were, and I really love a good friends to lovers story. This one was done really well, and I am excited to check out the rest of the series and other books by this author. Even after this book was over, as I was reading another, I thought back to this one. That is definitely signs of a good book to me! My only complaint is that at the end, I felt like it was just a little rushed. There was so much back and forth and then boom! Over!

Bottom Line: Cute, read it!

The Dating Charade by Melissa Ferguson

So I started this book while I was in Gatliburg around Christmas, and this book took place in Gatliburg at Christmas! So I was extra excited about that! This is one of those love stories where if they were just honest with each other and communicated properly in the beginning, there probably wouldn’t be much of a story. But that is how life is, isn’t it??

This one started out really good for me, and then quickly sizzled. I will say that the books focuses a lot on the children and it has a lot of serious issues it brings up with addiction, neglect, emotional issues, fostering, adoption, infertility, etc. So this isn’t really a romcom in my eyes. It also isn’t really a romance novel either. There was hardly any page time between Jett and Cassie and zero romantic scenes.

Bottom Line: This one was just ok for me. I wanted more steam. I wanted more laughs. The author made a lot of attempts to make funny scenes, but I didn’t find them very funny. If you want a love story minus all the steam and romance, this would definitely be more your speed.

**I received a copy of The Dating Charade from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**

Currently Reading

Parental Guidance by Avery Flynn

Coming in at you hot from another holiday filled weekend! I really am going to miss when Christmas is over this year. Everything is happening so fast, and I don’t feel like I have had near enough time to watch all the movies, sing all the songs, eat all the treats, and do all the things. You know? In fact, our Christmas cookies still haven’t been made yet. They may happen Christmas Day. Just as long as they are gone before the diet kicks in, am I right??

I have said it before, and I will say it again…Zoe is way cooler than I have ever been.

I have been trying to read a few of Zoe’s Christmas books when we have some down time. We have really been enjoying How to Catch Santa. It is really cute!!!

We got to visit Santa on Saturday. Zoe was so excited! The past two years, we have taken her to Bass Pro Shop. It was fine, but it was always crazy crowded and you always spent 2-3 hours waiting around in that store for your chance to spend 30 seconds getting a picture snapped from far away. This year we got lucky and Chris got on at the exact moment someone cancelled their appointment with Santa at The Summit. Their experience is so much better! When you have an appointment, you get up to 5 minutes with Santa. They will take pictures of just your kid and of your whole family, or any combination you want. The Santa was really friendly, and the set was gorgeous! I know where I want to go again next year!

After our Santa trip, we decided to go to Twisted Root for burgers. Zoe loves her a burger. Is she my kid or what?! I ordered the Spicy Goat with goat cheese, bacon and chipotle. Why have I never had goat cheese on a burger before???? SO GOOD!

After we ate, we were trying to decide what else we wanted to do that day. Chris had been helping a coworker with a new car a few days ago, and noticed that a lot of dealerships around here had some really good cars at good prices right now. When I got my Explorer a few years ago, I was also looking at Infiniti QX60 as well. Chris was like, we could just go down and look at this one real quick. Annnnnnnd guess what came home!!!!

This car was waiting for us there. It had every package/option that I would have picked had I built it myself. The ride is soooooo smooth! Much smoother than the Explorer. And there is so much more room in the backseat. Zoe’s carseat was always squished up against my seat before, but now there is a huge gap and I can actually slide back some. I took it to my mom’s house last night with high winds and pouring rain. Normally I would be having anxiety the entire drive (it’s an hour.) And not once did I get nervous about the winds or the rain. So worth it.

In other things we did this week. Chris and one of his friends changed out our kitchen sink and faucet after our contractor went MIA on us. Why are contractors so damn sketchy??? They did such good job!

We also got our new dishwasher installed!!!! Things we get excited for when we are adults, right??

I have been driving Zoe through other streets in our neighborhood every night to look at Christmas lights this entire month. On our way home from dance Thursday, I decided to change up our scenery a little and go to a neighborhood I know goes all out. She loved it!!! I really loved the Home Alone house and wish i would have gotten pictures of the other side with Marv, Harry and the Merry Christmas, Ya Filthy Animal sign!

I have been keeping up with Jerry the Elf all month. He hasn’t done anything too crazy or messy. Mostly just finds new places to hide, and has brought Zoe a few fun things like a coloring book, candy cane, Christmas necklace and this delicious Santa donut. Of course, there have been a few mornings I have woken up and realized I hadn’t planned anything out and scoured Pinterest quickly to figure out what I could do with him before I got Zoe up. She has really enjoyed waking up each morning to go look for him. It is how I get her out a bed easily. I am actually going to miss threatening her with him come December 26th LOL.

Zoe has been fighting off getting sick for about two weeks not. Flu, strep and a few cold strands have been flying around the area. I think one is finally taking her down. Last night she started crying about her ear hurting, something she hasn’t complained about since getting tubes two years ago. Annnnnd of course, I woke up this morning with a cough. Today was supposed to be her last day at school for the year. Guess we will be skipping out in favor for a doctor appointment and some rest. If you need me, hopefully my ass will be parked right here soaking in the last of the Christmas magic.

There have been so many posts that I have wanted to write over the last few weeks to share some of the things that we have been doing….and like all my good intentions lately…that’s all it becomes! I don’t want to wait to do a recap in January of all December activities, because I get sad in January that the holidays are over and we have to wait all year for them to come back. And also, I am usually hangry all of January because I jump on the healthy train. Until I quit.

We celebrated Zoe’s birthday on the 8th with a Disney Princess Party. Girlfriend talked about this party for months and months with us, her friends, anyone who would listen. The day came and went in a flash!!! I think that she had the best time though! We had five friends from school come, even her favorite teacher, and both sides of the family. I really loved the glam bar we set up, where the girls could come in and pick out crowns and jewelry to wear.

This past weekend, Zoe got to experience her first time at the movie theater to watch Frozen 2!!! We went with one of her besties, and they were so cute sitting next to each other with their giant popcorns and candy…clapping and squealing over the movie. It was a really cute movie, and I can’t wait to watch it again at home when it comes out. The soundtrack has been nonstop since.

This weekend, we also hosted my family for Christmas. Ran a shit ton of errands, did some more unpacking, grocery shopping, Christmas shopping, delicious breakfast at Metro Diner.

My dad was in town from Nashville to do a Santa event at a local childhood cancer facility. He came by our house first to visit with Zoe and get some pictures. Pretty cool when Santa makes a house visit!

Chris’s parents dropped by after to bring us a beautiful Christmas present!!! I will share a picture when we get it up. After that, I had to walk down to my neighbors house for ladies of the neighborhood Christmas party. I got to meet 12 of my new neighbors, and we did a Christmas themed gift exchange. I got a really cute Santa that we will enjoy for years to come. Everyone was so nice, and it feels so good to live somewhere that actually feels like a community and takes pride in their homes around the holidays. We have been enjoying driving past all the Christmas lights every night on our way home. I even exchanged numbers with my next door neighbor, in case the other ever needs anything. It’s a rare thing these days and I am here for it!

Hey there! Cruising right on into the weekend at warp speed! This week has gone really fast. I feel like I have sat in the car for most of it. Traffic has been horrendous lately. Thank goodness for a shorter commute. I would be driving off the mountain if I had to drive up to our old house!

A few days ago my sister texted me with the realization that this weekend is the only weekend we have to celebrate Christmas with my mom. What?! So we frantically texted her and came up with plans to celebrate on Saturday. I have hosted at my house the last few years, and it is nice to not have to be somewhere since we are constantly going to other places for the holidays.

We still haven’t taken Zoe to see Santa yet. Parent fail! We have a date with one of our school besties to go see Frozen 2 tomorrow. I am hoping we can squeeze a visit with Santa in on Sunday morning. Or one day after work next week. I had a good bit purchased for Zoe for Christmas, but have dropped the ball everywhere else this year. Trying to knock that out this week too!

One of my new neighbors invited me to the annual ladies Christmas party on Sunday. She told me to bring a Christmas-y gift to exchange, but I am wondering if I need to bring a hostess gift? I am thinking about making a tin of sweet treats to bring along too. I am so thankful to live in a neighborhood where they do stuff like this….and decorate their houses so beautifully for the holidays! Seriously, at least 60-70% of the houses have some kind of outdoor decor. But also, going to a party with a ton of women I have never met before gives me so much anxiety.

Favorite Purchase: Target has 50% off Knox Rose sweaters, and I have been wanting a mustard colored one for quite some time. Score on this deal! It is soooooo soft! The fit is over-sized, so either order your regular size for that look, or size down one.

I have my eye on this one, and am trying to decide if I want the white or blush color. It is another over-sized fit, and is a bit warmer than the one shown above. Perfect for our trip to Gatlinburg! Also gets me away from always wearing cardigans. I am the cardigan queen in the winter.

Favorite Recipe: This Bacon Spinach Pasta from Budget Bytes looks amazing!!! Hope to make it soon!

Favorite Funnies:

Well, I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend! Soak up as much Christmas festivities (or rest) that you can!