A Smokie Mountain Thanksgiving

Day One

Oh me! Last Tuesday, we headed out to Pigeon Forge for a mini-vacation. I had doubts about it because my husband and I have not been to the Smokies in fifteen years because it is just not our idea of a good time but my sister asked if we would like to go and we decided why not? Michael has never been and this would be a good time to take him. We left Tuesday afternoon and arrived at the cabin. It was clean and nice but a little small but that was no big deal. The minute we get in the door, Michael says, "Where is Michael's house?" I look around; his eyes are red and tears are starting. I tell him his house is where it has always been and that we are going to stay awhile. He is upset and I can't get out of him why he is so upset. (This is my first "I hate autism" moment of the trip.) We unpack the SUV and rest a minute. We are starving because we skipped lunch so we decide to grab something to eat. When "normal" families go on vacation, they plan great meals out. Us? No way! We drive through Burger King because Michael is OK with that. I am about in tears by this point because I am again slapped in the face by reality. We get back to the cabin and I am ready to eat. Yep, my food is not there! Now, I can sit here in the comfort of my house and laugh about it now but I was so upset! I thought, "I have four more days of this? Can I take it?" We ended the night on a good note by climbing in the hot tub. So relaxing and Michael loved it. We all finally relaxed and got some sleep.

Day Two

On Wednesday morning, I had the first cry I have had in a long time about Michael's autism. I thought I had gotten over the frustration and disappointment but I guess I was wrong. I told my husband that I just wanted to eat out one time while we were there and have a glass of tea in peace. I got the pity party over with and we went to get groceries and see how much Pigeon Forge had changed since out last visit. It turned out to be a very good day. We went to the Disney Story and let Michael get a few things then went to Kroger to get some groceries. Whew! It was crowded since it was the day before Thanksgiving. I will brag on Michael. He was very patient and good in both stores. We grabbed some Sonic and went back to the cabin. (Yes, I checked to see if my food was there before we left!) That afternoon, Michael learned to play pool from his dad and they played the old arcade games like Dig Dug and PacMan. It was so neat to see them interacting and hanging out. I still wanted my "tea and peace" so my husband asked what "would make me happy." I looked at all of the restaurant listings and we talked about several we might like. I asked Michael. "Hey, you ready to go out to eat?" His reply, "No! Happy smiles with no chicken!" (They are those potatoes shaped like smiley faces.) I said well, why not have that later? "No, happy smiles with no chicken, PLEASE!" The tears start. Crap. I get the happy smiles. Now, those of you who think I am just giving in do not have an autistic child! He calmed down and ate and I tried not to have a melt-down myself. My husband suggested that we try The Outback. Michael likes it and we know he can handle that. We wait awhile and then head to The Outback in Sevierville. Success! We have a great supper, go to The Dollar Store AND I finally get to see the Christmas lights. (By the way, they are pretty but who can tell with all of those big, flashing lights for the shows?) Anyway, we get back to the cabin and my sister and niece arrive. Yea! We are all finally here.

Day Three

Thursday, Thanksgiving day. What a beautiful day that was. Just gorgeous. We had breakfast and rested. Since my husband and Michael were happy staying in the cabin, the girls went to Gatlinburg to walk around and see if there were any stores open. We got so lucky. The streets were not crowded and we got a free parking place close to the street. We walked around and I found some toys for the kids and my sister got some candy and jam at The Chocolate Monkey. We just enjoyed the beautiful November day. It was really nice. We headed back into Pigeon Forge to go to Old Navy but dumb me had read the wrong time of their opening. They were opening at 7 pm not noon so we headed to the stores with the red roof. (I can't remember the name.) My sister got my niece some cute clothes so cheap! They had some great sales and again, it was not crowded. We headed back to the cabin for Thanksgiving lunch which my wonderful husband had cooked for us. It was so delicious! It was not traditional: He cooked chicken, fish and hamburgers on the grill. Oh, my! Just the smell was killing me! We hung out some more and I said, "Oh, I want to see the lights in Gatlinburg before we go back to Old Navy." Wrong idea! It seems that everybody was hiding when we went earlier that day! It was SO crowded! Bumper to bumper traffic and we wanted to be at Old Navy when it opened. We did manage to get to Old Navy at a little after 7 and wait in line to get in for I guess less than 15 minutes. I put my niece in a stroller and we power shopped! My sister went one way and I went the other. I got some great deals and so did she. The shocker was thirty minutes later when we saw the line to check out.

Look at the picture below. I took the picture where we were in line in the back of the store. You are seeing the front of the store and the man in green is in line as it winds its way toward the front again. I will give them credit. We had to wait maybe 10-15 minutes in line. After that, we headed back to the cabin.

Day Four

Friday, Black Friday. We had enough excitement at Old Navy so we hung out at the cabin that morning. Around 10, I went to a store with my sister and again got lucky. I got a parking place right in front of the store. (It is a little mall area off the main road.) We next went to the Hanes, Bali store and I got some stuff and we thought we'd see how crowded Tanger Outlet was. We started driving and the traffic got heavy the closer we got. It was finally at a stand still. It took me a mile of creeping along to realize that this WAS the line for the outlet! Oh, no! We were I guess five miles from the outlet. We got out of there and went back to the cabin. You can see below how we spent our time waiting for more shopping. (The weather was rainy and cold and the hot tub was so warm! We had a blast!) After supper, my wonderful husband agreed to stay with Michael and my niece while my sister and I went to Tanger Outlet at 8 pm. We thought that surely the crowds would be smaller. We were so right! I parked right in front of the Disney Store and we got some Christmas presents for the kids. We next parked right in front of Old Navy and my sister got a jogging outfit that they were out of the night before AND got it for 50% off! We then parked right in front of Coldwater Creek and just did some looking. So, the moral of the story is this: Unless you really want something in particular on Black Friday, don't go that morning. Go that night when they have had a chance to restock AND you still get the great prices. We decided to celebrate by stopping by Baskin Robbins on the way to the cabin. Overall, Black Friday was a great day for all of us.

Day Five

Saturday, time to go home. We had to be out by 10 am (9 am our time) so we packed up and headed out. Some reflections: I am blessed with a wonderful sister and niece. It was nice to spend some time with them. (Disclosure: I did learn that my sister is a saint because my niece can talk and at times it was just "Shhhh! Be quiet a minute!) :) I also was reminded that as far as Michael has come, we still have a long way to go and that "normal" is just a word. I learned that we should stick to the place that is perfect for us when we want to go somewhere: St. George Island, Florida. Last, I have always known I was married to a good man but I was reminded anew of how wonderful he truly is on this trip. What did I do to deserve him?!

Well, that is my Thanksgiving. It was a memorable one. Thanks for reading all of my ramblings.