Nine years flew by in the blink of an eye. It sure doesn’t feel like it’s been that long.

There have been many quick weekend trips to some fabulous places in the last nine years.

Here are a few of my favorites:

• I went to church . . . Twice! . . .Yes, they were in ruins, but it still counts.
• Discovered I do actually have a favorite sport, hockey! . . . I really thought hockey players would be bigger.
• I saw the highest peaks in Alabama (Bald Rock) and Georgia (Brasstown Bald).
• Attempted to roller skate and failed miserably.
• Tried to pet an alley cat in Elfreth Alley,PA.
• Dressed 👗 like a princess for a Mardi Gras ball in Mobile, AL!
• Road-tripped with my mom and sisters to our hometown, only to discover that I really couldn’t go back home. (Okeechobee,FL)
• Hunted shark teeth at Fort Clinch State Park (Fernandina Beach, FL) while freezing half to death!
• Slept in teepee in Cave City, Kentucky.
• Walked through Noah’s Ark (Williamstown, KY)!
• Hunted dinosaurs at Bongoland (Port Orange, FL)!
• Climbed the smallest lighthouse . . . 13 whole steps. (Havre de Grace, MD)
• Watched nickels being made at the Philadelphia Mint.
• Walked the Atlantic City pier.
• Walked across the Gatlinburg Skybridge (TN) . . . It was scary!
• Found a “dead ringer” bell at the Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, GA.
• Dipped my toes several beautiful, cold, crystal clear springs in Florida. I got to see a baby manatee!
• Camped on the Suwanee River in Live Oak, Florida.
• Visited a couple ghost towns . . . Elkmont, TN, and Ellaville, FL.
• Road the train at Dollywood (TN).
• Hugged the Grinch in his underground lair! (Historic Cherokee Caverns, Knoxville, TN)
• Hiked at Providence Canyon State Park (GA) on New Years Eve!
• Stopped by the site where Bonnie and Clyde met their demise! (Gibsland,LA)
• Found the lost sea in Sweetwater, TN!
• Visited the cutest alien town (Roswell, NM)!
• Took a quick trip on Route 66!
• Found my favorite underground waterfall, Ruby Falls in Chattanooga, TN!
• Read giant ten commandments on the side of a mountain (Murphy, NC)!
• Saw Kentucky’s Niagara Falls, Cumberland Falls.