After a two week hiatus, I have returned home from vacation. I have spent the past couple of weeks with my family traveling through Tennessee...all of Tennessee.

Jason and I, accompanied by my mom, dad, brother, and his girlfriend, traveled through Tennessee landing in the Smoky Mountains. There we white water rafted, climbed mountains (either by foot or by Sky Lift), played Hillbilly Golf, went on a ghost tour (one of my favorite things to do), and shopped in the most unusual of stores. We spent time in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and even Cherokee, North Carolina.

In Cherokee we ran into one of Jason’s old classmates from high school, shopped in authentic Native American shops (where my mother insisted on looking at every walking stick she found), and endured a torrential rain storm. The North Carolina trip was my least favorite adventure due to my sensitiveness to getting car sick in the winding roads of the mountains.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was the white water rafting. It was something that I’ve never done, but I would do it again in a heart beat. Not being much of a thrill seeker, this was a stretch for me but I loved it. I would recommend trying it.

Because we take our vacation around the same time every year, I know when I get back that summer is almost over. It is the same feeling this year. The “back to school” commercials are on TV, the stores are packed with school supplies, and I find myself wishing I could go back to school. I miss the excitement of starting a new school year. I still have that “going back to school” mind set.

It feels good to be back in my own house and getting back to my schedule. My dogs are happy to be home too. They’re exhausted from all of the traveling.