Dollywood

My (Thomas) birthday is Monday, March 30 and PJ has been planning something. I didn’t have any idea what it was, though. All I’ve known all week was that he was doing something for my birthday on Saturday (even though my birthday is Monday) because “it would take all day to do”. I had a million guesses, but not one of them was what we actually did. 

It started at 7 am, and though it was absolutely freezing, it was a beautiful morning. 

  

We were out the door and started driving to the opposite end of town. Again, I had no idea where we were going but all of the sudden PJ made a hard right and we ended up here:

  

He knows how much I love pancakes and I’m always suggesting IHOP for breakfast lunch and dinner so waking up and coming here first thing in the morning, I just knew this day was going to be amazing.

  

We got back in the car after he kept saying we were already late. I was so confused?? Where were we going? We got on the interstate headedtowards Knoxville and within 20 minutes of driving I passed out. Little did I know, PJ was planning on me falling asleep on the way there (because you all know me in the passenger seat = I’m gone within minutes) so that it would be even more of a surprise.

I woke to an unfamiliar voice saying “Welcome to Dollywood!” I immediately shot up and looked around and saw huge parking lots and even bigger mountain tops. I couldn’t believe it! He had been telling me for weeks that he needed all day and that it had to be beautiful outside for his surprise to work. Now it all made sense! The only downside was that it was 30 degrees. We brought coats.

We got on the train that took us to the entrance and so began our day at Dollywood, a park I have never been to before nestled in the smoky mountains in Sevierville, TN. It’s only a two hour drive but for some reason I had just never made my way up there before. I’m glad I got to experience it for the first time with PJ. It made it 10 times more special.

   

          

Because it was so cold a lot of the rides weren’t open. Most of them opened as the temperatures got a little warmer but the two that PJ really wanted to ride never opened. 😦 Womp womp. Before too long it was lunch time so we decided greasy and fried since this was an amusement park after all.

 

Then we walked around the park, which is quite beautiful and meticulously kept- I didn’t see one bit of trash on the ground. When we got off this ride that was a giant pendulum swing, this kid passed out and we couldn’t tell if he was kidding or not. I still took a picture. 

 

 We were there for about 7 hours all together and braved the cold and rode the fast and scary and tall roller coasters but we both agreed we had had our fun and it was time to get a move on.

 

  

 Our last stop at the park was to get a loaf of this cinnamon bread that they bake right there fresh for you. I had been dreaming about it all day. I wish you could have been there to smell it baking. It might honestly be the best smell in the entire world.  

   

       

On the way home we decided to stop at the mall in Knoxville at Pottery Barn since I have never been to one before. We both agreed that we wanted at least one of everything in the store. Seriously, it is our exact style to a T. Whatever house we get next is going to have “the Pottery Barn look” for much, much less of course.

I can’t believe that he surprised me with all of that. It meant the world to me that someone would go out of their way to prepare such a special day just for me. What am I supposed to do with him? 

  

I love you PJ McKay, with all my heart. You’re my guy.