Gatlinburg!

This past weekend we went to Gatlinburg to just have some relaxing fun time with the kids and go to Dollywood! To make a long story short... it wasn't exactly the trip I had in mind! We went a day early to not be "rushed" because my whole entire life is a big rush ha. We planned on leaving early that day, which of course didn't happen because I had a million things to do before we left. I was really sad about leaving Frankie, so against Chris's will, he finally gave in and let him go! Yayy! :) The ride down was good, we even stopped and got some ice cream...

When we got there we had to find a "pet friendly" hotel until we could check into our cabin the next day. This was a task... finding a pet friendly hotel in Gatlinburg that was NOT on the bed bug registry! This brings me to my next point... if you don't know about the bed bug registry then you need to! It is awesome. You can search any city or hotel and see if it pops up on the registry of any cases of bed bugs and you can read people's reviews. It is awesome. I don't travel without it anymore lol.
Frankie wasn't sure about the hotel, ha this was his special spot...

We rode go carts....

Ate Dinner at Chris's favorite place... it was pretty good I will admit, even though I'm usually not a fan of "country cooking" ha I would recommend going there though if you're in Pigeon Forge.

The next day we shopped at the outlets and messed around for Father's Day! We ate at our favorite pizza place in Gatlinburg for Father's Day dinner... The Best Pizzeria!

Happy Father's Day :)

In the midst of the fun, on this very hot weekend... the AC went out on my car! :( Oh No! If you know me you know I don't do well when I am hot haha (I think I get that from my Mamaw lol) So this was not good. It was Sunday and we were in Gatlinburg... pretty sure there are no dealerships there... so I google and stumble upon what seems to be a well known mechanic and pretty credible auto shop. We call, they are open on Sundays... SCORE! We drive there, it sure seems like its out in the boonies... keep driving... keep driving... pull up and see this....

Not a joke people. This was it. Ha. I mean no dis-respect to these kind gentlemen who were basically wearing Budweiser for cologne ... but this was not going to work lol. We were there all of 10 minutes. Long story short, we toughed out the no AC until we got back to Lex and took it in to get fixed the next day :) 

So our last day we were off to Dollywood!

I am a huge fan of Dolly.... love her.... how could you not? She is amaze. And so was Dollywood. It was so nice, the scenery, the flowers, the grounds were so clean, it was hands down the best park I've ever been to. So much to do, the kids had a blast and so did Chris and I lol.

 Only problemo with this day was we never got our cabin (too long of story to tell ha) so we had to check out of our hotel at 11am that morning... which means... nothing to do with Frankie :( Poor Baby!! Lucky for him his mom is so smart and got online and googled for somewhere to him to stay and look what I found....

Yes that is right friends... Dolly thought of it ALL! They had Doggywood right there in Dollywood, perfect place to leave your fur-kids in their own little cabin while you are enjoying the park!

Here is his sweet little bed in his cabin... :) I left his blankie in case he got sad. But I'm pretty sure he liked it.

So back to the day, we had a blast! We took a million pictures but here are a few of my faves...

These little potted people were sooo cute! Jake loved this one (even though its the wrong team ha) so Whitney... this one is for you ;) hahahaha

I love this! Have never read this before... it was next to a beautiful Dogwood Tree. So good!

I can not begin to tell you how many of these we saw... what are these things? I'm sorry if anyone reading this has these but I just think they are gross haha. They freak me out. Why do you need shoes with toes in them? I don't get it I guess.

Needless to say we came home with this hat and gun ha. How cute is that pic?

We rode the train that went on a 5 mile journey around Dollywood... too fun!

Chris & Ella rode all the crazy rides!

This is funny to me... sorry babe... love you though hahaha.

Loved this old church you could walk in and leave prayer requests...it was so cute :)

Three little owls after getting drenched on a water ride!

This is hysterical. I saw this coffin and said Jake.. go stand next to it and take your picture... he ran over and did this little pose! HAHAHA I was dying, everyone around was cracking up. I said how did you know you're supposed to do that in a coffin? And he said... "from Scooby Doo, silly!" LOL pretty smart.

Love the light in this picture... looks so pretty!

Lastly... the kids all wanted to try the big log, water ride, where you all get in and then it goes up the hill and straight down into water and it splashes everywhere up over a bridge.. do you know what I'm talking about? Well I was a little nervous Jake would get scared but he was so big boy and decided he wanted to do it! We all got in the same log and took off... went through some dark tunnels, around some curves, nothing too crazy... yet! When we got to the top of the hill and started to tip over to plunge down, I literally almost peed my pants! But it was a blast. And they even captured this picture for us... brace yourself... LOL 

Let me give you a closer look ....

Too funny! We laughed so hard when we saw this! Definitely a framer!

Aside from all the cabin/car drama, we had such a good time! We will for sure be going back! :) 

You've Got Mail!

Today I came home to find a UPS box at my front door... LOVE when this happens :) This one I have been patiently waiting for let me tell you. After ALLLLL the hype and blogging about the fabulous Marley Lilly website, I just couldn't resist (duh, of course, no surprise here) going and scooping up some cute summer must have's! I am slightly obsessed with anything monogrammed anyway, so this website of everything monogrammed mixed with the fact that everything on there is super cute and not insane expensive... it was basically love at first sight! ;)

My box contained....

The absolute "Must Have" pool/beach accessory ... the Monogrammed Floppy Beach Hat :)

I know you can't tell the initials this way, sorry, but thought you might want to see how it fits because there are a couple of different hats you can order. I like this one because it is not huge, but does do the job of covering your face and looking cute at the same time :) Love it! Can't wait to wear it!

I am a little notorious for losing expensive sunglasses. My last pair I left in the movie theatre a few months ago and called literally 15 minutes after we left and they were stolen gone from the room. Arrhh! Hence why right now I am wearing a cheapie $12 pair from Target. SOooo I thought I should get these nifty little Croakies for safe keeping, especially when in FL on the boat or in the ocean. Love them.

Now for my FAVE...

It's a little hard to see because the towel is white and so is my bed haha... but this is the Loung Chair Cover w/ Pockets! Genius!! I am always wrapping my cell phone in the side of the towel, or needing somewhere to put my lip balm, etc. This towel is HUGE! It's so soft, so comfy!

Two BIG pockets that hang from each side of the towel

And it's a little hard to tell from my pics, but the initials are so big too and look awesome!

Here is the pic from the website... you can tell a little better how big it is.

That's it from Marley Lilly... for now at least ha. I want everything on the website. The shipping was quick and all came exactly as ordered! :) Happy Shopping Ladies!

Now I did hit up Home Goods today for about 30 minutes while I was killing some time and scooped up two nick knack patty wacks that I'm loving...

How cute is this dog food/water bowl stand thingy for Frankie? I die. Loved it. Had to have it. So precious. They had a couple other colors and sizes too, I just had to get the smallest for my little angel, ha.

This thing was $4 and the best $4 I've spent probably. How cute? Just to carry on vaca or in your purse or whatever for your earrings, rings, etc. Loved it. It's small enough to carry around but just the perfect size for your little jewelry.

Lastly I will leave you with this... in a previous post I shared with you a children's drawing that was HILARIOUS that I got on facebook from a friend, Teri. See that one HERE.  Well she has posted another that I had to share because 1. It is hysterical and 2. So many people loved and commented on the last one. Kids are funny... and it is true, you never know what they'll say, or in this case, write. Ha!

LOL.

Nite Yall!

Blog Slacker Here... Birthday Party Update!

Geez has it really been 12 days since I blogged?? What a slacker! I feel like I have so many things to update on it may take a few posts lol

Aside from working like crazy... I have managed to have some fun personal time lately too :)

Jake turned 4! So cute! We had his party this past weekend and it was blast. I know everyone is DYING to see the cake because my cake place is so fabulous and amazing haha... See this previous post for more awesome cakes I have ordered from them and for the contact info for Confused Confections Bakehouse! Jake decided he wanted to have a wrestler birthday party, I had all these amazing plans for it, per my usual party planning craziness, but after working a hundred hours that week (felt like it at least), my planning was not up to its best :(  However, if I do say so myself, I think it still turned out awesome and all the kids had a BLAST!  Ok for decorations.... we went with the WWE theme colors (I know all the ladies prob aren't familair ha, I wasn't either don't feel bad)... Black, Red & Silver/Grey ... Balloons are a must of course... 

I bought letter stickers at The Party Store and put on some of the balloons for "WWE" and "RAW" :)

This banner came from The Party Store also and may be my new fave thing.... they are only $26 and they print them in 20 minutes (perfect time to wait while the balloons are being blown up) and you can put anything you want on them. They have clip art, lots of fonts, and you can take a flash drive for a pic.

It was a pretty good size too! Loved it!

Next I had to get a little creative and quickly because I did this 3 hours before the party lol

I found this wrestler on a coloring book website that you can print pictures and then color them. So I printed it out and took it to Kinkos and blew it up onto a 3ft paper size and then cut them out, let the kids color them before the party and then glued Jake's head to the tops LOL and hung them around the food table and everyone loved them! Jake cracked up and now they are hanging in his room because he refuses to take them down haha!

For party favors I just did all sorts of candy, snacks, and goodies in color appropriate bags, and got the little WWE stickers from Etsy to put on them (hard to see sorry)...

These were just a fun little game that some kids did and some took home in their goodie bags... I ordered these from Etsy also and they were VERY cheap (like $10 maybe) and arrived quickly and just as I ordered

 Now for the cake!! They did an awesome job as always, Jake totally freaked out, he loved it! 

So cute!! Love it! It was so yummy too... Strawberry cake was the top one (Jakes fave) then regular yellow cake on the bottom layer and both were so good! Their cakes look awesome but they really do taste so good too which is hard to find!

The hit of the party... the inflatable obstacle course!

I have found the best people to rent these from (Thanks Renee!!), if you are in Lex and ever need one, you have to call them... they are so sweet, a husband and wife, they are insured and VERY reasonable on prices. We have rented several before in the past and this was by far the best one and the cheapest too. This one we will be using again without a doubt because I'm pretty sure every person at the party enjoyed it, adults and all! We raced and had so much fun... :)

Gosh I love him! He is obsessed with pop tarts... all he asks me for!

This little ditty I got at The Party Store also and I love it :) It's a Palm Tree Cooler... fill the bottom with ice and drinks... it didn't go with our theme but it just looked cute! 

 Chrissy, Me & Heather

Eric & Chrissy

Jennifer and my most fave precious little girl, Madelyn :) love her.

Kenzy and her friend, Elizabeth

Me and my brother :)

Blowing out his candles :)

Love this pic :)

And look who also made an appearance... Baby Jack! Chris's nephew. So precious!  

It was a great party!Do I need to start a party planning company in all my free time? I mean how fun would that be?More posts to come... lots of pics to share :)

Meet Emily...

Lots of things going on this week... first and foremost... big news people... I have an assistant! WooHoo! Finally feeling like I can breath a little now... and she is so fabulous words can not even describe!

Meet Emily...

I know, I know... she is so cute! Not only is she precious but she's basically a genius too! Girl hooked me up with a google calendar on my phone and whatnot in about 5 seconds on the first day and it is amazzzzing!

So excited to have her help and boy did I need it! Thank you Emily!!

So just for fun here are some reasons why I love Em and know she is THE perfect match for me ;)

1. She came to learn and train with a Lily Pulitzer notebook, lol (um duh you're hired immediately! ha!)

2. We have the same be-jeweled flip flops from J.Crew that are my fave!

3. I already sold her a house previously so she knows I'm a little OCD and OOC! (good to get that out in the beginning of a relationship I think)

4. I was totally kidding when I said her title should be called "Keeper of Chaos" but she actually liked it and I am pretty sure would have used it but we thought "Administrative Assistant" sounded much more professional :)

5. Among her many other amazing talents, she tells the best stories of anyone I know!

6. There are so many other things I could rave about with Emily but lastly I will leave you with this...

The girl knows Celebs haha!

So jealy that she got to meet and cuddle with John Wall!!! LOL :) Dang her!

Well that is Emily :) I keep telling her she needs to blog it would be wonderful! Maybe one day!!

Until then... you can follow her on Twitter @Cew524 ... She's a great little tweeter :)

Next topic of discussion...

I am at the gas station, minding my own business in line... and the guy next to me says,

"I like your Mercedes, I have a white one at home just like it, just paid $64k for it (totally not possible, should have stopped listening right there ha), I keep her in the garage because I'm a mechanic and I know how much it is to fix those cars and all so don't drive her much, just drive that ole' Buick out there"...

(insert me trying to act like I was on my phone so I didn't have to talk back or look up at him... damn it didn't work, he asks me a question now...)

"What year is yours? How much did you pay for her?"

I basically am forced to look up now and this is what I see... (face anonymous, you never know ha)

Hahahaha not to be Judgy Judy but the 40 of Bud pretty much gives it away... don't think you wanted to know about my car, pretty sure you're a creeper, and don't think I will be talking to you! No Sir! lol

Sooo... Ella is on the swim team this year for the first time and last night was her first meet...

We were a little nervous...

But she did SOO awesome we were so proud of her! 1st Place in Backstroke in her age group! Go Girl!

Can't wait for her to keep getting better and better, she will be amazing!

Today I want to wish a Happy Happy Birthday to my BFF Stephanie...

Sweet 27 :) ha Love you Steph! XOXO

Ok... Carrie and Brad have done it again... I am OBSESSED with this song right now...

They haven't made an actual video yet but at least you can hear the song here.

**Pause my playlist at the bottom of the page before you click**

That's all for today!

Have a great day/night :)

a DREAM Client Testimonial...

I wanted to share this for a few reasons...

1. I think the highest compliment you can be given in my business is a referral from a friend or past client... to know that they were so pleased and happy with their transaction that they would refer my name to someone else that they care about, is the best compliment I could ever ask for!

2. Andrew and Ashley were a breeze to work with... they were so great, excited, easy going, you name it! I enjoyed working with them sooo much!

3. I hope no one reads this and takes it as a "brag" and those of you that know my heart know that's not why I am sharing... but I am sharing because I do most of my business by referrals and I am so very appreciative of them! It is hard to constantly feel like you are "asking" for business as a Realtor... you sometimes can feel like you're a creeper or bug-a-boo haha. So with that said, this is the easiest way for me to share with people how much I love what I do and how much I appreciate everyone's loyalty and business, and most of all the referrals! :) THANK YOU!

If you know someone in Lexington (or surrounding counties lol) who is looking to buy or sell a home, I would absolutely love to help them! Please feel free to message me :)

Here the testimonial from my clients, Drum Roll Please... :)

"Proud new home owner here, and honestly I can’t thank the ever so awesome Dana Gentry enough for making the dream of owning my first home a reality! I first started working with Dana 3 years ago when she totally went out of her way to help me sign a lease on a rental home that I wanted so badly. I had maybe met Dana once through mutual high school friends and happened to notice that she was now in the real estate business. I contacted her on Facebook to inquire about a rental property and, right from the start, she treated me as if we had been lifelong friends. I know that she makes her living selling homes, so the fact that she completely bent over backwards to help me with a rental property really stood out. At that point, I knew that I had found an honest, caring and reliable realtor to deal with in the future when it came time to make one of the biggest purchases of my life.

            Flash forward 3 years and I am now happily engaged, getting ready to get married, and finally feeling ready to make the ever so important purchase of my first home. I knew exactly who to call, and Dana far exceeded the expectations that I had developed after working with her previously. For first time home buyers, let me just tell you that home buying is a PROCESS! I have learned first hand that there are many highs and lows during the hunt. You may fall absolutely in love with a home only to be met with disappointment that it can’t be yours for some reason or another. Dana continued to be so helpful during the tough times, reassuring me that people rarely get the first home they make a bid on, and encouraged me to keep looking. Trust me, you will have a million questions from now until the big closing day, and Dana was as sweet as ever no matter how dumb I thought my question happened to be. I can’t tell you how many times I called or texted Dana at 8 or 9 o’clock at night, long after most people have STOPPED working, yet she was just as helpful and informative as she always is. She no doubt eased so many concerns I had along the way, and her trustworthy contacts with lenders and home inspectors really made the home buying process that much easier.

            I would highly recommend anyone entering the house market, especially first time home buyers, to work with Dana. Right from the start, you will notice how hard she works and how compassionate she is in helping her clients find or sell a home. I honestly don’t know how she works so hard 7 days a week, and still manages to have a smile on her face all the time. Dana, Ashley and I can’t think you enough for all you have done over the past several months. You are no longer just our realtor, but now a good friend that we will continue to work with for years to come. We can’t wait to have you over to celebrate once we get completely moved in!"

A HUGE thank you to the lovely, "soon to be" couple, Andrew and Ashley Pennington (yay!) for writing such a sweet note and letting me share it also! Can't wait to see your new place!! XO!