Well, it's official, we have no more teenagers in this house!! Today we celebrated Douglas' 20th birthday with the birthday dinner of his choice, T-Bones, Ribeyes, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, deviled eggs, salad, peas, french bread, brownies, chocolate dipped strawberries, and ice cream cake. I guess he's still a growing boy! For his birthday he wanted our debit card so he could get some new clothes - I haven't seen the receipt for any of that yet...pretty scary! Drew carved Douglas a birthday pumpkin and a good time was had by all!!!
Several people have asked if Don continued taking his shakes during our getaway and the answer is YES. I premeasured the ingredients for each shake into individual containers before we left. We had a small ice chest with bottled water, small cartons of orange juice, and ice. We packed up the blender and all we needed was an electrical outlet and we were in business. Only one time did he have to have what he calls a "shook shake", I shake it up in a plastic cup with a tight lid. Those are not his favorite but he drank it anyway! He did great on the trip and had more energy than me! Those of you who know us, know that we truly believe these shakes are what are getting Don through this chemo without the awful side effects attributed to his medication and letting him enjoy each day with relatively good health. We would NEVER leave home without it!!
Don drinking the "shook shake" in Cades Cove - no outlet here!
Today we headed out of Montgomery towards Century, FL for a visit with Aunt Vicki and Uncle T.C. who always welcome us with open arms. Also stopping by for a visit were Don's sister Debby and her husband Deke and their granddaughter, Hannah; Don's cousin Dennis and his wife Doodle, Don's cousin Sandy, and his cousin Jimmy and his wife, Vickie and their grandson, Jayden. It was a fun day and as usual Aunt Vicki fed us a delicious lunch. Don's sister and I joke about how many dishes Aunt Vicki serves whenever we go to her house and today she did not disappoint us. We had 1) chicken and dumplings; 2) baked turkey; 3) pork roast 4) lasagna 5) field peas with ham 6) broccoli casserole; 7) macaroni and cheese; 8) homemade cornbread; 9) homemade biscuits; and 10) pumpkin pie. Who serves that much food at one time?? And the funny thing is this was one of her smaller presentations as we had only called at 6:00 the night before to let her know we were coming. Whew, they don't make them like Aunt Vicki anymore. In this picture T.C., Don, Deke, Vicki, Debbie, and Hannah.
Sandy, Vicki, and Jimmy holding Jayden.
Dennis and Doodle rubbing a little bit of 'Bama on Don.
When we left Vicki's house we came upon this field of cotton and then a whole truck load that had already been baled. This is when you know you are in the country!
The beautiful scenery continued this morning as we left Asheville, NC and headed south to Atlanta. We got lost on a state highway and have never made so many hairpin turns in our lives. We were both queasy for quite a while after that adventure. Tonight we are spending the night just outside of Montgomery, AL. We will have lunch with Don's Aunt Vicki and Uncle T.C., his sister Debby and brother-in-law Deke on the way home tomorrow. I have attached some additional pictures of our trip through the mountains.
As we reached the top of the mountain in the Nantahala Forest in North Carolina, this is what was there to greet us...pea soup. It was a straight drop off the side of the mountain on my side of the car! Needless to say I was quite unnerved by this experience.
The beautiful colors continued once we were out of the fog. 
We finally made it to Helen, GA, a cute little Alpine styled town, we did not visit very long as it was very touristy and not really what we expected. 
Our last stop before heading for home was at Stone Mountain, GA. We paid to park and then got up to the ticket gate and realized it is an amusement park AND they were having a Halloween celebration. There must have been 500 children headed into the park. We took this picture from the parking lot and headed out!
We started our day in the Smokies...I have attached some pictures we took along the way. Today it rained and was extremely windy. We were going to go to Clingman's Dome, but when we got there there was no visibility and it was FREEZING cold. Tonight we are in Asheville in a Holiday Inn with a beautiful fireplace in the lobby. Don and I sat by the fire and chatted with a couple from Georgia - I was finally able to thaw out.
This picture and the one below show opposite sides of the same tree.
This was a little building in the Smokies with fungi growing on the roof...looked rather interesting.
Leaves covered the ground of this little path.
Notice Don's right hand, I caught it in motion as he was telling me to hurry up and take the picture. He's tired of posing - I guess I won't be getting too many more photos of him!
View from our hotel in Gatlinburg.
We ended our day at the Biltmore Mansion. The mansion and the grounds are exquisite. The tour of the house took us 2 hours to complete. They are preparing it for the Christmas season and the rooms were beatifully decorated for the Holidays. We are considering returning tomorrow when it is not raining.
Don and I decided to take a few days to get away together. Part of our trip was a mission to deliver Nicole and Joe's wedding gifts to them in Nashville which we did Wednesday and then we were on our way looking for adventure. We have been so fortunate during this trip to see exquisite scenery. The leaves are turning colors at many different levels and as you look up each mountain you can't imagine what you see. Blazing red, burnt orange, vibrant yellow and pale yellow. The leaves that have fallen blanket the ground in a bed of orange. We are very fortunate to have had the time to spend together taking this trip. Tomorrow I believe we are off to the Biltmore in North Carolina where the colors are supposed to be spectacular. You know I'll keep you posted. 
The beautiful little river that runs through the Smokies.
Visit to Cades Cove...one of many stops along the way.
You know he was going to remember the binoculars!
In the Smokies.
Serene roadway.
On our way to the Smokies and the colors are starting to show!
Joe was so kind during our visit...he truly is a gem. This morning he drove to the I-440 so we could get back on the road without getting lost. Thanks again Joe and Nicole - we loved seeing you both.
Nicole and Joe's beautiful home in Nashville. The front yard is a wide open expanse with beautiful trees - the colors did not even look real.
Don and I in their beautiful backyard.
Up the stairs to the backyard which is covered with orange leaves. 
The patio with the beautiful fall leave sprinkled on the bushes.
We made it. Nicole was on call and had to stay at the hospital. Joe picked up dinner and we all ate together in the cafateria. Then we followed Joe to their new home, visited for a while longer and then fell into a deep sleep!
Florida may have Blue Angels at their rest areas but Huntsville has rockets!
Taking a break in northern Alabama
Don and I just prior to leaving Kenner.
