Vacation 2018 Part 2: Under the Sea

Tuesday was our first full day of vacation and our group split into multiple groups depending on interest.  Dan, Sue, and Jared headed out to Cherokee, NC for the day.  Mom, Teresa, Tammy, and Sallie decided to hit the outlet malls.   Dad, Mike, Katie, Aaron, Bryan, and I decided to go to lunch and Ripley’s Aquarium.  We drove to a few places before settling on Landshark for lunch.  We decided to do vacation right and started with a bit of day drinking, World Cup watching, and some delicious foods.  

Cool Kids at Landshark for Lunch

Cool Kids at Landshark for Lunch

Sangarita-Day drinking! 

Sangarita-Day drinking! 

Philly Cheese Steak + Waffle Chips and a Pickle (ew) 

Philly Cheese Steak + Waffle Chips and a Pickle (ew) 

After lunch, we headed to the aquarium.  It had some pretty good reviews and the majority of our family really enjoys going to aquariums so this seemed like a good option.  It was a good sized building and had several areas of interest for us to browse.  We enjoyed checking out fish, sharks, and of course, the penguins.  We watched one particular penguin for several minutes as he grabbed large rocks and carried them to a girl penguin who was hiding in a cave.   

Ripley’s Aquarium

Ripley’s Aquarium

Dad and his new bff

Dad and his new bff

Bryan is back to school with the fish

Bryan is back to school with the fish

Saw Face!  (We were really fascinated by this guy-maybe due to day drinking?) 

Saw Face!  (We were really fascinated by this guy-maybe due to day drinking?) 

Aaron and his new friend

Aaron and his new friend

1 Fish, 2 Fish

1 Fish, 2 Fish

After the aquarium, we stopped by the grocery store to pick up some beverages and other needed items before heading back to the cabin.  The shopping gang had a lot of luck and found all kinds of treasures and deals.   

Shopping Part 1

Shopping Part 1

Dave must have been a good boy-he got a new shirt!

Dave must have been a good boy-he got a new shirt!

We had decided as a family that we would eat dinners in the cabin as a whole family and that each smaller family group would take turns making dinners.  Some of us missed the first night, when Teresa and PopPop made lasagna.  On the second night, Dan, Sue, and Jared fixed us Taco Tuesday with chicken and beef tacos and all the fixings.  It was delicious and people made tacos, nachos, and salads using the chicken or beef.   

Dan is making Taco Tuesday happen for the family

Dan is making Taco Tuesday happen for the family

Waiting for tacos

Waiting for tacos

As if we hadn’t eaten enough, some of us decided that we needed to go to Maddog’s Creamery and Donuts.  Ice cream and donuts are two of my favorite things so I couldn’t say no to this adventure.  There were several options of ice cream or donuts, but Katie and I are champs and knew that we needed both.  So, we each ordered an ice cream donut sandwich with cinnamon sugar donuts and espresso ice cream.  It was huge and delightful and sadly, there was no way I could finish it. 

Ice Cream + Donuts = Yes, please! 

Ice Cream + Donuts = Yes, please! 

Ice cream donut sandwich

Ice cream donut sandwich

Ice cream gang with Sallie

Ice cream gang with Sallie

Ice cream gang with Suzie  

Ice cream gang with Suzie  

After our ice cream snack, we headed back to the cabin for an evening of relaxation, imbibing, and games.  It was fun to stay up late playing games with the cousins, who we don’t get to see nearly enough. 

Old Man in a Rocker

Old Man in a Rocker

Older Man in a Rocker

Older Man in a Rocker

Intense game with Cousins

Intense game with Cousins