Branson Here We Come

For the first time since we adopted Bo Larry and I are getting away for a few days. We have an awesome house sitter (thank you again!!) that’s going to be at home with the fur babies, most especially Bo. Larry has taken a lot of camping trips and even a small vacation away, but I’ve never spent more than 8 hours away from Bo. Things worked out perfectly and we are headed to Branson, MO for a few days in just a few hours.

If you aren’t familiar with Branson it’s kind of like Vegas for Country Folks. *grin* Lots of music venues, incredible scenery around a gorgeous lake, and tons of bright lights. We get to see even more bright lights since Branson went Christmas as of November 1st.

We’re going to Silver Dollar City Theme Park where they’re celebrating an Old Time Christmas with bluegrass, country, and gospel singers, 5 million Christmas lights, and incredible items for sale. They have a fun holiday parade each night, and even a 5 story Christmas tree with special effects and a light show. The park is full of craftsmen demonstrating the techniques and skills that were used before technology became mainstream. Our favorite artisans are the glassblowers and the blacksmith. They are absolutely fascinating. Their hand-crafted items are available for sale, too! Handmade candles, freshly made candies, and hand carved wood. *happy sigh* I’ll share pictures over the next few days.

We are also going to dinner at The Dixie Stampede dinner show. This will be Dolly Parton’s holiday show with the North Pole versus the South Pole instead of the traditional (although light hearted) Dixie divide. It’s our version of the Knights dinner theater. *grin* No silverware while watching amazing horse riding stunts, a living nativity, ostrich races, and listening to some beautiful music. The vegetable cream soup is my favorite part of the meal. I’ll definitely be showing the recipe and soup on here as it keeps getting colder.

We’ll also hit some outlet malls and our favorite little diner, Cakes-n-Creams, where we get a funnel cake topped with an ice cream sundae. So decadent and delicious.

Branson is where we had our honeymoon and for the first seven years we went back each November for the holiday festival. I know that some people hate how early Christmas hits the stores and stuff, but the beginning of November isn’t excessively cold yet, it’s easy to get time off of work, and it’s not nearly as crowded, so it’s the perfect time for us. It works great for getting a start on Christmas shopping, too. We almost always stay at the same resort and we have an ornament from the resort for each year. It’s so easy to lose track of what Christmas is all about, so seeing those ornaments each year reminds us that it’s about the love and family, and not how many boxes are under the tree.

I’ll try to spread the pics over several days, so it doesn’t get overwhelming and doesn’t bog down the loading of my page for you. This is the first time we’ve gone since I had to start using a cane and walker, and since I had the leg injuries, so I figure I’m in for some new life lessons in coping with my illness and adapting. It took me a week to finally agree that it’s a smart idea to take the walker. lol I’m a bit nervous over the physical toll the trip may take and of getting injured in public, and being away from Bo for the first time (hey, it’s basically like a mom leaving her toddler for the first time, mine is just hairier and protective. *laugh*). This trip is like a shining star after three years of darkness. I can just let go for a few days and have a better frame of mind to get me through the rough times ahead. 🙂