Inane thoughts and insane ramblings

What a gorgeous weekend!  We had our first weekend alone since we have been married (almost 10 years) and spent it in Cherokee and Hickory NC.  Even though peak season was a few weeks ago, I was amazed at how incredibly colorful the trees still were! 

We headed out Friday night, taking the scenic route through the Smokey Mountains to Cherokee from Knoxville.  That means we took a winding, no passing, no lights, no restrooms, and no civilization route.  I guess it would have been much more scenic during the daytime, but even at night, you could hear the running river and see silhoutes of the massive geoligical formations surrounding us. 

We stayed at the Comfort Inn in Cherokee, which was nestled against a rumbling river.  We drove through the "main drag" lined by closed gift shops to Harrah's casino.  Alexis had never been to a casino before and was initially disappointed since it was all video gaming and she had heard my tales of Los Vegas.  After losing her first dollar on a slot machine, she said "Okay, I don't like this."  But we still had fun.  I watched her play video poker and slots for a couple of hours before we headed to the hotel.  We were both surprised at how small the town was, expecting it to be more like Pidgeon Forge, TN.  But everyone we met was friendly and helpful. 

We got back to the room and settled in.  I took some great "adult but not porn" pictures that turned out great.  Some in lingerie, some in nothing but my suit jacket, barely covering her.  I told her that even if you only crop out everything but her face, Alexis looks significantly sexier when dressed that way.  It's as though she takes on a different personality or cockiness.  She has a celebrity look to her. 

We hit the souvinier shops the next morning and bought some fun things for Trevor and his little girlfriend across the street.  Then we headed to Hickory NC.  That was an incredible drive.  The vibrant colors of red, orange, yellow and purple that hung on the tree lined mountains were so stark that it seemed like you needed another sense other than sight to take them in.  It was like you could hear them glowing, taste them bursting, smell them changing, and feel them beaming. 

We walked through all 4 levels of the huge Furniture Mart.....bigger than most malls I have ever been to but full of only furniture stores.  Broyle, Thomasville, Lazy Boy, you name it.  I did the "butt test" on all of the sofas.  I quietly followed her around for hours, not complaining (she knows I hate shopping), until she finally announced that even SHE was tired and ready to leave. 

After a nice dinner at Kobe Japanese Steak House, we made a brief trip to the mall to pick up something nice for our 15 year old son, since he had the primary job of watching Trevor this weekend.  We also found some nice earrings for Alexis. 

Back at the hotel, we collapsed into the bed.  We flip flopped between watching "While You Were Out" and the Florida/Florida State game, snuggling with each other.  She probably didn't think much of it, but I took careful note of every time she rubbed my foot with hers or brushed her fingers through my hair.  It was almost alien not being interrupted by Trevor or having one of us working on a project somewhere in the house. 

It was such a great weekend, but we were both so ready to head home when we got up this morning.   I feel like I have had my batteries recharged.

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