Monday, September 14, 2015

I'm Back......

So did everyone behave while I was gone? And if not, did you have fun?
We had a great time. It was wonderful to see a large chunk of the family again.
We drove from NC to IL. On our way we stopped in Asheville and ate at the Wayside. It's a historic train depot that's been converted into a restaurant. Good food, fun spot. As soon as we left Asheville we hit a traffic jam. One lane semis, one lane cars going about twenty to thirty miles an hour, bumper to bumper from Asheville to the Tennessee border. I've never seen so many semis in my life. Once we hit Tennessee it backed off. Thank goodness.
We ended up having dinner with my brother and sis-in-law. It was totally unplanned. They were heading for the wedding too.I got a text from my sis-in-law saying they were at Shoney's off exit 317. Guess where we were? Yup, right at 317, when I was reading the text. Very woo woo. But that's how our family rolls;)
The wedding took place at The Farm.  The Farm is a spot outside of Springfield that's rented out for weddings and events. It has a garden, gift shop and a loft, which we spent one night in.  It was nice.  Since it was a second wedding for  both the bride and groom, everything was casual, with a family atmosphere.
From there we stopped in southern Illinois to stay with my aunt and uncle. We always go to Harrah's--it's tradition--eat at their wonderful buffet, hit the slots, then go home and play Yahtzee. Anyone out there play Yahtzee? My aunt and I were Yahtzeeing like crazy. It's been years since I've Yahtzeed several times in a row. The uncle and hubby...not so much.  The women ruled:)
Next morning, we headed home. I was surprised. We were traveling Labor Day and the traffic wasn't that bad. Once again, we stopped in Asheville. Wayside was closed so we tried Zoe's Kitchen. Loved it. The food was great, especially their chocolate cake.  Oops, shouldn't have admitted I indulged.  Yes, my excuse was the time honored--'we're on vacation'.
Finally, got back home. We'd had to board the dog and Faux Paw, so she could continue her eye drops for the glaucoma. A bud came in to take care of Captain Stubby and Belle.  (Bless you, Becca.)
The boarding charges cost more than the trip. Yikes!  But enough about my weekend, what have you been up to? Missed y'all.
The last picture of the night taken by the photographer


The Bride And Groom
The Baby Girl and Her Hubby

The sibs being silly. Bros showing their best side:)
~*~
I still need 16 supporters at Thunderclap.

 

30 comments:

Elephant's Child said...

I am so glad to hear you had such a good time.
Yahtzee!!! My partner and I used to often play - with household chores on the line. We got quite competitive about it. Also Zilch. And Cribbage.

D.G. Hudson said...

I've only played cribbage but I never got the hang of playing card games. I used to like chess. I like that first photo, very nice.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

What is it with that mountain pass between Asheville and Knoxville?
Glad you had a good time.
My wife plays Yahtzee on her phone. A lot!

DEZMOND said...

glad you had a nice time! And you looked lovely in that bluish/greenish dress!

nashvillecats2 said...

Welcome back Sanddra, lovely post and such awesome pictures, pleased you had a wonderful time.
Yvonne.

Musings of a Creative Writer said...

Asheville is the best! I love Asheville. :) Never have been to Illinois, I'd love to visit Chicago at some point.

I love your pictures and I'm glad you had a good time! Sometimes a trip is needed.I did miss you and can't wait to read more of your blog!

CJ Kennedy said...

Sounds like a wonderful trip. Made more awesome by chocolate cake.

Pat Hatt said...

Sounds like an awesome trip indeed. Yikes to the cost of boarding though.

Shady Del Knight said...

I'm happy to know you made it safely out to Illinois and back, dear Sandra, and thanks for giving us a summary of your trip, the wedding, the venue and your delightful dining experiences along the way. Mrs. Shady and were also traveling over the holiday weekend (around Central West Coast Florida) and were happy to find that the roads were not congested. It's great to have you back, dear friend Sandra. Enjoy your week!

Christine said...

welcome back! I love weddings, thanks for sharing the details.

Chrys Fey said...

Welcome back! I'm glad you had a good time. :) Thanks for sharing those pictures with us!

Stephanie Faris said...

How fun! Glad to have you back. I'm going to have to try that restaurant next time I'm in Asheville. My husband travels there for work and I keep saying I want to tag along with him!

Sandra Cox said...

Thanks, EC. Playing for household chores....I like it!
I hadn't yahtzeed in forever and hit a 100 points a couple of times, as did my aunt.

Sandra Cox said...

Hey Steph,
Ashville is the coolest. I think you'd enjoy the restaurant. Nice variety of yummy food.

Sandra Cox said...

Hi D.G. Welcome! I've never learned to play chess. I'm not sure I'd have the patience to think all the moves through. Yahtzee is rolling dice and counting the points. Its fun, but frustrating when the dice don't land like they're supposed to:)

Birgit said...

Oh it sounds like you had a great time and it must have been wonderful to get away but also nice to be back. i am certain your fur babies missed you. I have been dealing with Windows 10! My hubby decided to download it because...because he thought he would get more stuff on the colour program-he didn't and now nothing but problems. Yesterday it decided to have an error message again-and the icons did not show. when we tried to go on the net it was trying to get on for a 1/2 hour-grrrrrrrrrrrrrr. so i am writing this while at work

Sandra Cox said...

I don't know, Alex, but it is such a pain. Traffic was even backed up in the tunnel. I thought we were going to be stuck inside it.
That's great about your wife playing Yyahtzee on her phone. Love it.

Sandra Cox said...

Oh thanks, Dez! That's very nice of you to say.

Sandra Cox said...

Thanks so much, Yvonne. It was great to be there with everyone and good to be home.

Sandra Cox said...

Hi, Jessica Marie! Wave. Wave.
Asheville is the best!
Chicago's a fun place to visit. It's an entity unto itself. Lots of political history.
Missed y'all too.

Sandra Cox said...

Indeed, CJ:) grin

Sandra Cox said...

Yeah, that was a bit of an eye opener.

Sandra Cox said...

Hi Shady,
A holiday weekend on the Fl coast. What fun!

Sandra Cox said...

Thanks, Christine. Hope your Monday is going well.

Sandra Cox said...

Thanks, Chrys:) It's good to be back.
Hope you are doing great.

Sandra Cox said...

Every time I see the download message for Windows 10, I think of you and avoid it like the plague.

Meradeth Houston said...

Sounds like a wonderful trip, and a beautiful wedding! And now I would love to play some yahtzee! It's been ages.

Sandra Cox said...

A ha! Another Yahtzee player:)

Feral Turtle said...

What a lovely wedding place and I love your family pic! I haven't played Yahtzee in years. Might have to dust it off and give it a try. Cheers.

Sandra Cox said...

Thank you, FT. That's how I am with Yahtzee. The only time I play it is when go to my aunt and uncle's.