Loads Of Pictures!

I took LOTS of pictures on our trip to Pigeon Forge.

On our way up there, we passed the BUSH Beans Factory. It was
in a little bitty town and let's just say there was definitely a bean
smell in the area. LOL


We got into Pigeon Forge around 6:30 or 7:00 PM and there were
Christmas lights everywhere. BIG ONES! This one was way up
on a hill far off the road.


This one was close to the road and huge.


This was a "town hall" that said Welcome to Pigeon Forge.


This one was up on a mountain. It was beautiful.


Here are some drummer boys we went past while turning into
our hotel.


We were on the fifth floor of the Smokey Shadows Towers.




Some of us got together and went to a large indoor flea market.
It was terrific.


After the flea market, we ate lunch at McDonald's and then
took off to Dollywood. Dollywood was NOTHING what I though
it would be. It was wonderful. I would love to take my children
there next Christmas. There were rides and shows that every family
could go to and not be ashamed to say that they went. I would choose
it over Carrowinds any day.

This is our Pastor and his wife Mrs. Ava.


The first show we went to was in this theater. It was called
Christmas In The Smokies.


Pastor and Mrs. Ava in the heartshaped gazebo.


This was the first show we saw. The one in the hat was the
"son" that had come home from Christmas. The woman he's
looking at is his "mother."




The "mother" was reading through the Bible telling the
Christmas story and then they acted it out. This is the angel
that told Mary she would have the Christchild.


This is Mary giving God glory and praying about her situation
and what her family might think.


Me and Bruce


Jeff and Stephanie smiling down my way.


We're waiting for show #2.


Babes In Toyland was the second show. The children in the
audience were in awe of this play.


The toy soldiers have come out to fight!


The family is firing the toy cannon at the giant spider.


The family leaves Toyland by flying over the audience. That was
spectacular.


When we came out of the second show the sun had set and the
Christmas lights were turned on in the park. Everything, and I
mean EVERYTHING was lit up. It was like a winter wonderland.




Between the second and third show, Bruce and I went off to ride
the Thunderhead rollercoaster. It's a wooden rollercoaster, but
it wasn't jerky like you might think. It went so fast it was smooth.
It was high, it was fast, and it was scary! Especially since it was dark
and we couldn't really see anything. We screamed the whole way and
since it wasn't crowded, we stayed on and rode again. It was fun!
When we finally got off Thunderhead, Bruce wanted me to take his
picture with the old Coke truck.


We set the camera on the Coke truck and put the timer setting
on it to take our picture. It's grainy because it was so dark and
when I lightened it up, this is how it came out.


I took a picture of Bruce in the shower. And yes, that's the
Grinch in his coat. He won it when we played a game.


This is me in a coffin.


The third show, I believe, was I'll Be Home For Christmas.
This house was amazing.

The "mother" was on the phone and just found out her daughter
wouldn't make it home. The dad found out right after that, that
his son wasn't going to make it either.


These were the neighborhood mice that were looking for Christmas
cookies the whole time.


The son and the daughter did make it home and it began
snowing. It was so pretty.


There was a restaurant in the park called Aunt Granny's and it
was literally completely lit up with lights. It was amazing.


Bruce and I were amazed at this tree. Now, this tree was tall.
Very tall. And from the bottom all the way up, around every
branch and every twig, were blue lights. This picture really
does not do it justice. You can't really tell how tall it is.


We watched a parade for the children come through the park.
This train led it through.


After the parade, we watched the Carol of the Trees. They played
beautiful Christmas music and while the music played, the trees
would change lighting with the music. It was beautiful.






There was one carol near the end, and I can't remember
which one it was, but it was talking about the birth of Christ
and the doves in the trees above our heads lit up.


The toy soldiers


The end of the show.


Pastor and Mrs. Ava. Isn't that a good picture? Yes, she is wearing
a Christmas tree hat. It had a battery in it that would flash the bulbs
on the hat. LOL It was so funny!


This is Paige and Jay. They are the reason we had this retreat.
Jay will be going back to war next spring. He has already been
there once and hasn't been home long at all, really. They have two
children, one of which is just a few months old. He'll be nearly three
when Jay gets back. Jay will leave for his refreshment training in
January. Please pray for them. The job he is going into will be patroling.
As you know, that's not exactly the safest job over there. But God is
in control and we know that His hand will be on Jay.


After Dollywood, most of us went into the conference room for
Krispy Kreme doughnuts, hot chocolate, coffee, and games. The game
was one I had never played before. You write down your name on a piece
of paper. Then you secretly write down the name of someone in the room
and something crazy you want them to do. Then you turn your paper in.
Well, after we turned our paper in Pastor Goodman informed us that he
had forgotten to tell us something. Whatever we wrote down for that other
person to do, they didn't have to do it. WE DID!!! So I ended up doing the
Chicken dance. Oh dear me. LOL


RJ and Liz. Our Youth Pastor and his wife. They are expecting
their third little one.


Greg and Janet. Janet is our church secretary and Brother Greg drives
the big blue and white bus for the bus ministry. He's also the world's
best grill master. :) I do love his grilled chicken!!


One of the other men wanted someone to stand on their head, but
he ended up having to do it. Bruce was bracing his feet so he
wouldn't fall. LOL


This is Tammy. She's the wife of our Sunday School
teacher, obviously very pregnant with their third child.
She is due in January.


Paige and Jay


The group! There were a few to the side I couldn't fit in.
Sorry y'all!


Pastor getting ready for our session.


He wasn't speaking to us yet, but it made for a good shot
anyway. :)


Praying. Yes, I prayed....I was just a few seconds behind everyone
else. LOL


Looking up at our room. There were seven floors, so our room was
the one in the center, three floors down from the top.



When we left the hotel for good, we went shopping. We bought some
souveniors for the kids and our parents and a few Christmas presents.
Then we went to the Applewood Farmhouse for lunch. It was really
good. While we waited to be seated, I snapped a few shots of us out on
the frontporch of the farmhouse.

Jeff and Stephanie. Don't they look cute??


Bruce talking to Brother Chris, Celine and Carissa's daddy.


Amanda, Celine and Carissa's mommy. That's her real smile....
all the time! Ain't she sweet?


Sis Angie and Brother Cline. They are such a sweet couple and have
the sweetest boys. Their oldest son is on our SIGMA team.


Ted and Rebecca. As usual, snuggled up. :)


Bruce driving us back home. He missed an exit home and ended up
taking us an hour or more out of our way. But it was so nice to be some
where we had never driven through and see the quaint little towns. We
had to laugh because he had been searching for this particular exit for
twenty minutes. We started talking about our trip and he missed it.
What was so funny is that I was watching him watch the exit as we passed
by and he got this funny look on his face and I knew what he had done.
We just laughed.


When we got into town we headed straight over to mom and dad's
to get the children. But they were at Resthome ministry. :( I missed
them. This is one of the things they did for my parents. Justin put
their tree together and then the three of them decorated it for them.
Didn't they do a fantastic job? Her house was so clean. They had done
that for her too.


Daddy was going to drop the kids off at the house on their
way home from the resthome so we went to my Mother-in-law's
to pick up Tipsy. This is her tree. Isn't it lovely? She has all white
lights with red and white ornaments and just a couple of silver ornaments.
It's very lovely.