The Knoxville Marathon

Cariten Kid's Run

All three girls decided to run in the Cariten Kids Run, a part of the Knoxville Marathon, this year. They ran 1.2 miles from the World's Fair site to the 50 yard line at Neyland Stadium. They weren't first, but they certainly weren't last either. They all beat Greg and me, who took the same route, but stopped along the way to take photos of the runners. Sometimes they were too fast to even capture! Maybe we should all run next year...maybe. PHOTOS

Spring Break 2008: Orlando

Saturday, March 15, 2008
Maryville to Adel, GA

We began our spring break trip to Orlando with a "casual" drive to Adel, GA. This would put more than half the distance of our trip behind us on Saturday. Since we couldn't check in at our condo until after 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, we were in no hurry. We stopped in Perry to drop off some things to Mom and Dad and continued on our way. After checking in, we watched the UT ballgame through half time then went to dinner at a catfish place--Great Food! When we arrived back, we finished watching the final 5 minutes of the ballgame. One of the great perks of Greg's job is the hotel points-earning opportunities he has with all of his travel!

Sunday, March 16, 2008
Adel, GA to Orlando, FL
The Magic Kingdom

The girls wanted to leave early so that we could make our way to Disney World. When we arrived at Grand Vista our condo wasn't ready, so we headed to the Magic Kingdom. Of course, the first thing anyone wants to do when arriving at the Magic Kingdom, is take a photo on Main Street in front of Cinderella's Castle. So, I line up the whole group and get the camera ready, and...I became the target for some stupid bird flying over my head. No worries about getting the group to smile. They laughed themselves silly. No photo! I headed to the bathroom to clean up or take a bath. The rest of the day was enjoyable but uneventful--no other run-ins with birds. We made our way through Adventure Land and Frontier Land. Our highlights included riding Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and visiting The Haunted Mansion. We haven't been to Disney World since Molly and Emma were in kindergarten, and some things they simply didn't remember from our previous visit. We didn't close down the park today, only because we still needed to get settled in for the week. We had to make the most important purchase before we left--an updated Birnbaum Guide to Disney. Without it we could never plan what we wanted to do.

Our condo was GREAT! It was just like Legend's Edge but better. When we called to reserve our place, the guy told Greg that he didn't have any two bedrooms--which is what we get at Legend's Edge in Panama City. Would we care to settle for a three bedroom/three bath? Absolutely not. It was wonderful. Greg and I took the master suite, Mary Alison had her own room and bath and Molly and Emma shared a room and a bath. Marriott's Grande Vista Link

Monday, March 17, 2008

We woke early and headed to Disney's Hollywood Studios, previously known as Disney's MGM Studios. This was the day that we saw all the shows and did the rides we REALLY wanted to do. We knew from last time that our favorite rides were and The Twilight Zone Tower of TerrorRockin' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith--and they probably still are. These are among the few rides we ride over and over again and never tire of. We also saw Lights, Motors, Action!: Extreme Stunt Show, Disney-MGM Studios Backlot Tour, Sounds Dangerous: Starring Drew Carey, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, Star Tours, and Muppet Vision 3-D. We were exhausted and it was crowded, so we headed back a little early and decided to watch Fantasmic! the next time we came (Thursday). Molly, Emma and Greg went to the pool for an evening swim and Mary Alison and I hit the outlet mall--I'd already checked and they had an Ann Taylor outlet! Hip, Hip Hooray! PHOTOS

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

This was a LOOOOONG day! We arrived at EPCOT fairly early(not when they opened, though) and started accumulating fast passes. Future world was very crowded, so after getting a fast pass to Soarin', we headed to the world showcase. We managed to make it through Mexico, Norway and China before the girls got hungry/bored and wanted food and thrill rides. Back to future world for lunch and thrills. Soarin' was without a doubt my favorite ride of the entire trip. Mary Alison agrees. We added Mission: SPACE, The Seas with Nemo & Friends and Test Track (Greg's favorite) to our list of rides. I thought Turtle Talk with Crush, an interactive animated show with the turtle from Finding Nemo, was really neat. The turtle talked to the people in the audience and answered questions from the kids. We stayed until it closed and watched Illuminations--Reflections of Earth, a mix of fireworks, fountains and music. We found a place on the bridge between The United Kingdom and France and froze while we waited for the show to start. It was worth the cold wait. PHOTOS

Wednesday, March 19, 2008
The Magic Kingdom

Coming Soon

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Coming Soon

Friday, March 21, 2008 Kennedy Space Center

Coming Soon

Saturday, March 22, 2008 Disney's Animal Kingdom

Coming Soon

Sunday, March 23, 2008 Orlando to Maryville

Coming Soon