So, Andy & I decided to take advantage of our time off and plan a trip to Tennessee. We had the goals of touring the UT Early Learning Center (day care for Landon) and find a place to live next year. Landon did GREAT on the 7 hour drive down! Thank goodness! Our trip was a little bit unorganized and last minute, so we were a little scatter brained at first. Packing for a 3 month old last minute is overwhelming! You would not believe the amount of pure stuff you need for a baby. You need numerous clothes and burp cloths because no laundry will be done, toys to entertain, binkies galore, a pack n' play crib, blankets, and so on. Now, when you are planning on going on a trip where you know you will be doing a lot of walking, you would think you would remember a way to transport your baby. Not us! We were nearly to Knoxville when we looked at each other and asked, "Did you pack a stroller? Or the back carrier?". We both answered "No!". Apparently we are both getting used to traveling with an infant. We went to the nearest Walmart and ended up purchasing the sweetest little umbrella stroller that we will get a lot of use out of! Our absent mindedness worked to our advantage this time! 
After our stroller purchase, we headed to the Pigeon Forge/ Gatlinburg area. It was absolutely breathtaking!
The mountain views of the Smoky Mountains was gorgeous. Gatlinburg was a cute little town cut into the valley of the mountains. They had a ton of little touristy shops. Some were not worth peaking into, but we found a treasure chest at a local wood carving shop! I wanted to get Landon
a little stuffed Black Bear and found the best one ever there! Andy couldn't resist buying hand carved sling shots for him and Landon (when he gets older of course). I will admit, they are adorable. One is a Black Bear and one is a Moose. We also got a magnet for our refrigerator. We also stopped in at a
local candy making shop where Andy bought some Smoky Mountain Taffy (I don't know if he thought that was better than the Outer Banks' Salt Water Taffy) and some locally made BBQ sauce! After walking around the main street, we decided to head up into the Smoky's towards Ober Ski Resort. Andy was so nervous as we wove around the mountain. Once we reached to top and took in the view, we decided to head back down, which was a great decision because it started snowing then.
The snow is an entire story on its own. It doesn't snow there often, so when it does snow, people act as if a natural disaster has occurred. We had stopped in at the Old Navy Factory Outlet Store when the snow was beginning to fall at around 6PM. Schools had been cancelled that morning in anticipation of the snow (and were also cancelled the day before because it was cold). While we were in the store looking for teaching clothes for Andy, the worker were in a frenzy. Their boss had just called telling them to close ASAP so that they don't get snowed in. Let me just tell you that there was just a dusting on the ground. I just kept thinking about how my parents have 3 feet and their days continue as normal! After we left, we needed food. Well, everything was closing! There was still just a dusting on the ground, not even 1/8th of an inch! We stopped at Kroger to see if they had a deli to get food at. While Andy was in the store, they announced that they were closing due to weather! Grocery stores, fast food joints, gas stations, and restaurants were all closing! On our drive home we passed 20+ cars pulled over on the side of the road with their hazards on! We could not stop laughing. Again, there was still less than 1/2 and inch on the ground. Oh, it will be fun living down south just for that entertainment alone!
The next day we went on a major house hunt. We saw some places that could work, but nothing that we felt was a perfect fit for us. We did find out that the West side of Knoxville was the place for us. Andy was on cloud 9 because our hotel was in the same parking lot as the largest Bass Pro Shop we had ever seen. We went to dinner that night at Islamodora Fish Company which was inside the shop. It was by far the best dinner both of us had ever had. Everything was amazing! The margaritas, bread, salad, and our main dishes were a 10! We then walked all around the shop. Andy was in the zone. He was so happy with the thought that he will live so close to this store next year! Each night after we retired to the hotel room, I left Landon and Andy to have Father-Son time while I sat outside in the hot tub! It was so peaceful!
Before we headed back home, we looked at one more place to live. A girl in the AuD. program at UT had told us that is where she lived and loved it, and so did we! It was so safe and had so many things to do (2 pools, movie theater, play set, racquetball, pool table, etc.) all on the grounds. The set up of the townhouse would be beyond amazing for us! We wanted something with an open floor plan and a lot of storage. The place is called Forest Ridge and this is website:
We will be opting for The Maple floor plan. The third bedroom with be turned into an office. This is where we will be living if we don't find anything more like what we are living in now, but we were unsuccessful at finding that, but will keep looking.
The trip home was nice. It didn't seem like 7 hours. Landon had a fussy fit this time for a little bit. Eventually, he was fine! It is nice to be back home! It has been so long! Andy starts student teaching today and is very excited about it! He will do great!
Also, today is the one year anniversary of the day we found out about Landon! What a year!
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