Tennessee River and a Mountain Man

Name that tune! I've had that song stuck in my head since we actually crossed the Tennessee River on Saturday. Now I'm passing that on to you...you're welcome. P.S. I only saw one Mountain Man and we did NOT get together anytime we can.
So we're back home, and I'm drowning the sorrow of missing my sister and sweet niece and nephew (oh and bro-in-law) in Reese's. It's only working to fatten me up for swimsuit season, not doing so much for the other. Why do the Reese's eggs taste so much better than the perfection that is the Reese's cups? That's all I want to know. Anyway, we had a great visit and it was hard to head home. I picked up a few real estate listing booklets on our way out of the state thinking we would load up all of the members of the Koons Zoo and find us a patch of land down south. But then reality set in and I realized that just trying to transport all of our animals 12 hours would likely send me to a real funny farm. Sigh..

Anyway, a few more highlights from our trip:

*Kept GI Joe company while he drove 12 hours each way by staying awake the whole time, I mean sometimes.

*Did some retail therapy with my sister. Between the 2 of us we saved over $470 and only spent $70! SCORE!!

*Immensely enjoyed watching GI Joe squirm every time sis mentioned "pumping". Let's just say she wasn't talking about gas. :)

*Suffered a 2nd head injury. This time at the Tennessee State Museum. They really should put signs on those glass exhibit cases stating that objects are enclosed in glass and that trying to bend down to touch one could result in possible head trauma.

*Speaking of the TN State Museum, we gave the very bored museum guards some much needed action when "someone" didn't read the sign that said "Alarm will sound if you reach past this point." Note to self, I mean kids, those alarms really do sound, they aren't kidding.

*Held my niece Kaydence's NICU nurse hostage until she agreed to let me hold her before I had to leave. The criminal charges are so, so, worth it. We definitely bonded. Pretty sure I'm her favorite. :)

*Didn't see even ONE country star but I did see Rascal Flatts' name on the donor wall at Kaydence's hospital. I'm totally counting it.

*Fell madly in love with another man. He's got deep blue eyes, chubby cheeks and is approximately 2 feet tall. GI Joe knows, in fact I think Mr Micah worked some of his magic on Uncle GI Joe too. He's precious.


*This sign caught my eye at a gas station somewhere in Kentucky last night. I thought it was a fundraiser of sorts. I refrained from "participating" even though the offer for a free ride in the sheriff's car was pretty darn tempting!


*It's the perfect week as on our way thru KC from TN we met up with my other sister and kidnapped my niece Savannah from her. Savannah is staying with us til Friday night. I had forgotten how much fun it is to have a 2 year old stumbling around. What's even more fun is teaching Dakota how to change diapers and bribing her with $5 to do so for the duration of Savannah's stay! I'm shameless. We're currently working with Savannah to get over the traumatization of her last visit to the Koons Zoo when she was rammed by Lambchop and ate dirt/undisclosed substances for approximately 20 feet. I keep hearing a lot of "No,no, no" when she gets close to the barnyard fence. Something tells me she hasn't forgotten. Pictures will be posted soon, once I remember how to bathe a baby and can get her cleaned up enough that her parents won't freak out when they see them!

*In closing, I'd like to ask that you refer to me from now on as Miss Prairie Princess, but you have to say it with a drawl. I love love love how southerners add Miss in front of every woman's name. It's so vintage!

I'm fixin' now to go and ease my broken heart in something a little stronger than Reese's. I think it's time to break out the Girl Scout Cookies. It might be the only thing to keep me from getting back into the car and driving right back down to TN. Well, that and the fact that GI Joe has to work and we all know I can't drive any kind of distance alone without getting very very sleepy, and when driving thru big cities I'm best left alone in the back with a bag of chex mix and a movie, it's just way too stressful for me. And besides I don't know if Nashville is quite ready for the likes of Miss Prairie Princess........