cabin in the woods
We are back from our nice, long, restful vacation. We had a nice time but it is always good to be back in your own house!! Here are some pictures from our little getaway:
First, know that our dogs (read: KOWE) are not traveling dogs. They (she) have a tendency to get sick, restless...you name it. And they (again, she!) want to be on our laps at all times. We knew this wouldn't be possible for an 8 1/2 hour drive, so we got them little beds for the backseat and tried to make things as cozy as possible. Buuutt...it didn't really work. This is a perfect picture to illustrate how things went...Kowe begging to be in the front while Luke chilled out exactly as he was supposed to. Except that when she got in front, he didn't want to be left out, so he got in front...
...which resulted in my having 2 dogs on my lap for most of the trip down. Luke falls asleep (much like me) anywhere, anytime. Kowe would lay on top of him and he wouldn't move. But let him come within inches of her and she starts to freak out, the little hypocrite! Anyway, here is a cute pic of Luke, fast asleep without a care in the world. He doesn't care what is going on as long as someone is giving him some lovin. 
We finally made it to the cabin without any major issues. Traffic was really light and the trip went very quick, thankfully! Here's a little tour of our cabin:
Living Room:
...which resulted in my having 2 dogs on my lap for most of the trip down. Luke falls asleep (much like me) anywhere, anytime. Kowe would lay on top of him and he wouldn't move. But let him come within inches of her and she starts to freak out, the little hypocrite! Anyway, here is a cute pic of Luke, fast asleep without a care in the world. He doesn't care what is going on as long as someone is giving him some lovin. We finally made it to the cabin without any major issues. Traffic was really light and the trip went very quick, thankfully! Here's a little tour of our cabin:Living Room:
Kitchen:
Dining Room:
Our Bedroom:
View from our screened in balcony:
Not shown are the stairway up to the bedroom, the downstairs bath or the second bedroom. But it was nice. The only complaint was that we were hoping for big comfy couches and chairs. These turned out to be okay, but they were more cabinish, meaning that they were made of wood...not so comfy! But we figured it out and trust me when I say we were able to RELAX!!!
So on our first evening there, we headed to the grocery to pick up some things for lunch and dinner throughout the week. On the way, we found the outlet mall that I was so excited about, so we drove around to see what kind of sales were going on. (Mind you, this is the day before MLK day, so we knew sales would be good.) The following morning, we decided to get our shopping out of the way so that we had the whole week left to do NOTHING!
Dining Room:Our Bedroom:Little nook in our bedroom:
View from our screened in balcony:Not shown are the stairway up to the bedroom, the downstairs bath or the second bedroom. But it was nice. The only complaint was that we were hoping for big comfy couches and chairs. These turned out to be okay, but they were more cabinish, meaning that they were made of wood...not so comfy! But we figured it out and trust me when I say we were able to RELAX!!!So on our first evening there, we headed to the grocery to pick up some things for lunch and dinner throughout the week. On the way, we found the outlet mall that I was so excited about, so we drove around to see what kind of sales were going on. (Mind you, this is the day before MLK day, so we knew sales would be good.) The following morning, we decided to get our shopping out of the way so that we had the whole week left to do NOTHING!
First, we went to downtown Branson where there are lots of cute little shops and also an outdoor mall. I had heard about a really good mexican place, so we thought we'd see about having that for lunch. Except that on the way, we came across the Ann Taylor Loft store. We all know that this is Christina's heaven, so I had to stop in before I went and stuffed myself silly. To my amazement, they were having the best deals ever! I couldn't believe the prices, so I tried on about a million things, had amazing luck, and put it all on hold so I could go meet J for lunch.
He decided to go and grab a beer while I tried on...2 beers and a basket of chips later, I showed up! We had the most fantastic meal. I had read that the guacamole was really good here and that they make it fresh at your table. We had to try it and we're so glad we did!! My mouth is watering just looking at this picture!!
We spent the rest of the day shopping. I have to brag that we had giftcards to spend and we both still have money on ours...that's how great the deals were! I got tons of stuff at Loft for seriously out of this world prices, then J found a down vest at Eddie Bauer along with some jeans and sweaters at Old Navy. I found a few staples at the Gap and then got 2 pair of shoes for really cheap. We couldn't believe everything we got for such great deals and without spending a dime of "real" money!!
We spent the rest of the day shopping. I have to brag that we had giftcards to spend and we both still have money on ours...that's how great the deals were! I got tons of stuff at Loft for seriously out of this world prices, then J found a down vest at Eddie Bauer along with some jeans and sweaters at Old Navy. I found a few staples at the Gap and then got 2 pair of shoes for really cheap. We couldn't believe everything we got for such great deals and without spending a dime of "real" money!! So after our shopping extravaganza, we were ready to lay low and enjoy having not a thing to do. We did a lot of reading,
...lounging, playing games, cuddling with our dogs, napping when we wanted (though we both agreed that we napped far less than we thought we would), we took a little hike
Kowe watched the birds,
Luke explored (note: we never ate at this table and he was only on there for a second until he realized it wasn't a soft comfy bed),
Luke explored (note: we never ate at this table and he was only on there for a second until he realized it wasn't a soft comfy bed), I worked on a 1000 piece puzzle. Josh wasn't so interested and I abandoned it soon after this picture was taken. This took me the better part of 2 days, so I realized that I'd spend the rest of my vacation doing this if I didn't put it away. I thought I'd rather read my book and do some other things, so the puzzle was disassembled with care so I can break it back out here at home.
We really just chilled out, drank beer and wine, ate when we felt like it and had a nice restful time for most of the week. We did, however, have to get some BBQ before leaving town, so Josh had found this place and it looked like a dump (which was a good sign to him), then it was mostly locals inside (which was another good sign) and it turned out to be pretty darn good. We had some sweet tea, pulled pork, nachos and coleslaw. The desserts looked absolutely amazing, but we had no room.
After a bit more rest, it was time to say goodbye to our little cabin. Josh was thoroughly flustered at this point (because TomTom was being wacky), but I still had to snap a picture of the arch.
And Kowe Sue found a nice spot atop all of our luggage and other goods. She loves to see out the windows, so this kept her occupied for a bit:
After a bit more rest, it was time to say goodbye to our little cabin. Josh was thoroughly flustered at this point (because TomTom was being wacky), but I still had to snap a picture of the arch.
And Kowe Sue found a nice spot atop all of our luggage and other goods. She loves to see out the windows, so this kept her occupied for a bit:
Then we played lots of games while we watched football (well, not WE, but THEY watched football) and then watched the festivities on the TV. Here are Kowe and I:
Me and Laura:.JPG)
Laura and I must've won a game (surprise), which resulted in another shot for the guys:
After a couple games, we had our chocolate fondue for dessert:
Then some more games. It looks like Laura & I lost this one:
When it got close, we poured some champagne and snapped a few final pictures from 2008:
First we toasted to 2009, Lafayette time. Then we waited an hour so that we could toast to 2009, Chicago time, since that's where Jeff lives. In that time, Lukey found a buddy. He loves to be cuddled and Laura was happy to oblige and give him lots of lovies.
Finally, we all tuckered out and turned in for the night. This morning, everyone slept in except Josh. He got up bright and early (like usual) and made us all some delicious biscuits and gravy and he had coffee ready when we got downstairs. Not to mention, he had everything picked up from the night before. Can I remind you how incredible my life is?? This is not out of the ordinary and I am sooo thankful for my domesticated husband!
For the rest of our day, we've done a lot of watching movies, watching football, reading and this:
I can't think of a better way to ring in the new year!! We sincerely hope that 2009 brings you all everything that you hope for and more. Cheers!!
Dan was getting antsy, so he brought the boys over.
I took a rest for a minute with Danny:
That's when he got ahold of the camera. Taking an oh-so flattering pic of me:
Then one of Uncle Josh:
Later, we had our obligatory shot of vajunka:
Shell and Kowe:
Linc just loved on her:
And here he is showing off his new buddy, Matilda Blue. She is a King Charles Cavalier. (They call her Tilly. Griff wanted to name her Blue because of the dog in Blue's Clues, so he compromised on having that be her middle name. But he doesn't like for you to call her Tilly, he says her name is "Matiwda Blue!")
