Amy & Aron's

Today we had one of the best days ever!! It all started yesterday with a canceled eye doctor appointment. The kids knew we had stuff to do and the doctor appointment was two hours away. We told them to pack an overnight bag and just comfortable clothes that we were going to get a motel room for the night so we could go swimming and relax.

The appointment got canceled so they were bummed out but we said, it's okay the room is booked, we're going to ride out anyway. So we did. They knew the appointment was in Georgia, we had some serious fibbing to do to get this awesome surprise to work.




We made our first stop at my sister's house to pick up my niece. She is our road buddy, just one of the crew it wouldn't be right to go swimming without her. So, loaded up and hitting the highway the observant little munchkins asked why we were in Tennessee instead of Georgia, we were ready for that, We took a long way around since we headed out from Aunt Jaimes instead of our house, It Worked!

We headed out to Chattanooga. It was a two-hour ride of 20 questions (or 500 questions, I lost count). My sister called and I didn't realize I was talking loud and as soon as I got off the phone the second round of questions came in, what tickets, you get tickets for all kinds of places?? So, not being prepared for that one I said well, it was for the movies but since you guessed, we're not going there, we'll have to think of something else. After some giggles and chatter, a quiet soft voice said: "Did I really ruin the good surprise?" I felt like the biggest meany in the world, they never care what I say, of course now would be the time that started!!

With the most consoling voice I had, I said NO WAY, I just didn't want you to guess it so I was trying to trick you into thinking you guessed it so, we would have an even more exciting surprise tomorrow but, that didn't work!! Who wants to stop off for a snack, that fixed it. As parents, you know those foot in your mouth situations.That was a two foot in, moment.





It was a long ride but, we made it.They were just super stoked to be there, We got unloaded, settled in, in record timing I may add, and the glorious words they were waiting to hear- Get your swimming suits on! Another record was broken, 4 kids, 4 suits, 4 towels in hand, no fighting and ready to go in less than 5 minutes.

These guys swam until dark, how do they have the energy for that. I was hoping they would wear themselves out and sleep like little babies. I was was right for the most part just didn't have the desired outcome. They were worn out and nitpicked each other until the last one crashed about 2am.

The place we stayed at had a huge breakfast and an elegant outside patio where they ate. All the basic needs were met, it was time to get the day going and have some family fun!

They wanted to know where we were going so bad and we were about to bust since we had been holding it so long. I get so excited it's hard for me to keep the secret destination! So, we tried to give them clues that they would guess with little thought. We laughed so hard at some of their guesses.

They had to make us repeat it over and over before they went into the other room to discuss it and come back all together to let us know their guesses. There were 2 riddles for the two words.
#1- It's not a river it's a ...

#2- He carries around a pot of honey and his best friend is Eeyore.

The first answer they got right away- Lake.

The second one which we thought would be so easy considering they all LOVED Disney shows when they were little. But nothing. That tuned into the game, hints for that hint.

It took almost 20 minutes to figure it out. They knew the first word was "Lake" and the still guessed stuff like go-carts, golfing, school clothes shopping, Mexican restaurant. These guys crack me up so bad!!

When they finally got it, LAKE WINNIE- they were squealing elbows locked at their sides hands flapping up and down.They love that place, This is the third summer in a row that we got to go.

We knew the park opened at 10 so we left our rooms about 9:15, I had to get them in the car and on the road, I couldn't handle hearing one more time "What time are we leaving?". We had to stop off for sunscreen and hair bows, and a quick box of band-aids. I learned a very long time ago with this crew, bring bandages. It's better to have a stash and not need them than to not have them and need them.

We took the scenic ride around and passed the Welcome to Tennessee and the Welcome to Georgia signs a few times, Oh the joys oh harassing the kids, they get me all the time. After the near-all-nighter, this was totally worth it. At one point one of them thought we were heading home because they were up too late and neither Aron or I said it out loud as a threat. It was AWESOME!!

They were all freaking out so bad because, on the Google search, it kept showing that Lake Winnie was closed today. Everything was working out pretty good. We tricked them for the family trip, let them know where we were heading and they thought it was closed so we were going home. Could this be any better!

Well, Wally World, The Groves-walds are coming. We got to the entrance and there were cars in the parking lot! All Systems A Go!! The kids were cheering and we pulled in.

We got everything out of the car and ready to head in. The wheelchair bag was packed, The towels and suits were packed in their bag and everyone was ready to play!! When we got to the gate, our contact was there with our passes and goodies!! It was awesome. We felt so welcomed and she accepted our invitation for our family picture. That's so cool.





All of the kids were so excited over how nice she was. They even pointed her out when she was walking through the park awhile later. After that, she passed by and asked if we were having fun, Yes we were having fun! We were at Lake Winnie!!!!

From a visitor point of view, it is awesome when the trip feels so personalized. I absolutely love the hospitality there. This is a great place for a family day. Lake Winnie offers free WiFi for those of you that didn't know. Your password is on your admittance receipt. That way they treat us every time we come, I love making Lake Winnie a part of our family trip.

Here is some of the fun stuff we did while we were there.





I was so bummed out when I realized we didn't get any water park pictures. I'm going to try to get a waterproof case for this trip, it was so much fun!!

We had such an amazing time and I would like to give a special thank you to Talley, and Lake Winnie and Soakya Waterpark for inviting our family on this great adventure. We hope to be with you guys next summer.



2015 Lake Winnie Trip
2016 Lake Winnie Trip
2017 Lake Winnie Trip
2018 Lake Winnie Trip