I had the great pleasure of meeting an awesome woman and her hubby on Tues & Weds in Pigeon Forge, Tenessee. Sass ‘n Doc are from southern Illinois.
I met Sass online in a health community called Daily Strength. She is a great encouragement to me! We spent about 14 hours together before we had to leave. My husband went with me and he had a good time too! I think we should all meet again soon! Thanks for the fun, Sass ‘n Doc! And Sass, you were everything I had envisioned and more! What a blessing to know you as a friend!
Memories of my time with Sass…
When I called to let her know we were very close and to ask where we were to meet them, Sass told me they were right across the street talking with the owner of the Tattoo Shop! It was then I knew we were in for a fun time!
By the time we actually got to the hotel, Sass and Doc were in the lobby and I ran in and greeted them wearing The Coat and a goofy red hat I had made for Sass! (Yes, my husband insisted on staying in the van if I had to greet them that way–he didn’t want anyone else to know he was ‘associated’ with me!). After a big hug with Sass and meeting Doc, we were off to dinner at a restaurant in Pigeon Forge! We looked at pictures and found out all about each others’ lives that we possibly could in about 2 hours. We returned to the hotel and each had some small gifts for each other! I am now the proud wearer of a Southern Illinois Miner t-shirt (baseball team there)! They got all three of us one!
We didn’t stay long after dinner and we got a room and decided to meet in the morning at the pancake place there at the hotel on Weds morning. The next day it was kind of overcast but it had at least quit raining. We had breakfast and decided to ride to Cades Cove about 40 minutes away to see the scenery! We had a great time and they didn’t mind letting me stop and take lots of pictures along the way as we entered the Smoky Mountain National Park! Sass kept me laughing at all her stories about her life. Doc would interject at times with more interesting details. They both have had very interesting and active lives. Oh, and I got to wish Sass’s granddaughter in Turkey a Happy Birthday on the phone (she sounded kind of confused, like who is this woman my grandmother wants me to speak to that I don’t even know? )
After driving around Cades Cove and seeing several deer but no bears (much to Bill and Doc’s dismay), we headed back to Pigeon Forge and a mid-afternoon lunch at the Old Mill (good home cooking). I had already told everyone that I had to go shopping in at least one store - the Big Dog Store (if nowhere else). So they were kind enough to let me go there after we ate. We hit just a couple of more stores before it was getting close to time when Bill and I needed to head back home (2 hours away).
But on the way back to the hotel, Sass and I had one more thing we wanted to do…get a tattoo together. We had decided a temporary one would be best for us first timers so we stopped at one of those t-shirt stores that had a sign for such in the window. Unfortunately, they did not have anyone working there at the time who could provide this service. We left totally dejected. Well, I tried to look at the bright side. I said, “Sass, maybe it is a sign that we shouldn’t get a tattoo?!”, to which she expressed some agreement. But she really, really, really wanted a little frog tattoo, I could tell. LOL
We took Sass and Doc back to their room, looked at some pictures taken of the day together and said our goodbyes. It was not a real sad goodbye, because I think we are going to meet again someday! It was a great adventure, and I was looking forward to hearing what else Sass and Doc would do before they left Tennessee! I am so thankful the weather was nice, and that we all hit it off so well! It was a true pleasure to have gotten to spend time with the Dock’s from Illinois while they were in Pigeon Forge in November 2008!
Looking back on our time together, I think it is kind of unusual – Sass and I met because of an illness we both have, but we probably spent no more than an hour total out of 14 hours together talking about Parkinson’s disease. The part of our lives most in common to us, took a back seat to living life to the fullest and learning about all the other parts of our lives. It made its presence known in small ways during the day, but it was not the focus of the day! Sass and I have both been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease for about 6 years, and by the work of modern medicine and the grace of God, we are both doing just fine! And we are pretty determined to keep that attitude going …along with a little help from our friends and blogging. So keep an eye on us at www.funtimeswithsassafras.blogspot.com and www.parkinsonsjourney.com and I think you know why we had such a good time together! Until we meet again in person, Sass…I’ll meet ‘ya on the net!
P.S. When I talked to Sass the next day, I was not surprised to hear that she had gotten a tattoo, but had to settle for a rose instead of a frog. And of course we had a good laugh about it all!
Check out the pics of the day on my Facebook page here!
Judy
11/14/08
I had the great pleasure of meeting an awesome woman and her hubby on Tues & Weds in Pigeon Forge, Tenessee. Sass ‘n Doc are from southern Illinois.
Memories of my time with Sass…
When I called to let her know we were very close and to ask where we were to meet them, Sass told me they were right across the street talking with the owner of the Tattoo Shop! It was then I knew we were in for a fun time!
By the time we actually got to the hotel, Sass and Doc were in the lobby and I ran in and greeted them wearing The Coat and a goofy red hat I had made for Sass! (Yes, my husband insisted on staying in the van if I had to greet them that way–he didn’t want anyone else to know he was ‘associated’ with me!). After a big hug with Sass and meeting Doc, we were off to dinner at a restaurant in Pigeon Forge! We looked at pictures and found out all about each others’ lives that we possibly could in about 2 hours. We returned to the hotel and each had some small gifts for each other! I am now the proud wearer of a Southern Illinois Miner t-shirt (baseball team there)! They got all three of us one!
We didn’t stay long after dinner and we got a room and decided to meet in the morning at the pancake place there at the hotel on Weds morning. The next day it was kind of overcast but it had at least quit raining. We had breakfast and decided to ride to Cades Cove about 40 minutes away to see the scenery! We had a great time and they didn’t mind letting me stop and take lots of pictures along the way as we entered the Smoky Mountain National Park! Sass kept me laughing at all her stories about her life. Doc would interject at times with more interesting details. They both have had very interesting and active lives. Oh, and I got to wish Sass’s granddaughter in Turkey a Happy Birthday on the phone (she sounded kind of confused, like who is this woman my grandmother wants me to speak to that I don’t even know? )
After driving around Cades Cove and seeing several deer but no bears (much to Bill and Doc’s dismay), we headed back to Pigeon Forge and a mid-afternoon lunch at the Old Mill (good home cooking). I had already told everyone that I had to go shopping in at least one store - the Big Dog Store (if nowhere else). So they were kind enough to let me go there after we ate. We hit just a couple of more stores before it was getting close to time when Bill and I needed to head back home (2 hours away).
But on the way back to the hotel, Sass and I had one more thing we wanted to do…get a tattoo together. We had decided a temporary one would be best for us first timers so we stopped at one of those t-shirt stores that had a sign for such in the window. Unfortunately, they did not have anyone working there at the time who could provide this service. We left totally dejected. Well, I tried to look at the bright side. I said, “Sass, maybe it is a sign that we shouldn’t get a tattoo?!”, to which she expressed some agreement. But she really, really, really wanted a little frog tattoo, I could tell. LOL
We took Sass and Doc back to their room, looked at some pictures taken of the day together and said our goodbyes. It was not a real sad goodbye, because I think we are going to meet again someday! It was a great adventure, and I was looking forward to hearing what else Sass and Doc would do before they left Tennessee! I am so thankful the weather was nice, and that we all hit it off so well! It was a true pleasure to have gotten to spend time with the Dock’s from Illinois while they were in Pigeon Forge in November 2008!
Looking back on our time together, I think it is kind of unusual – Sass and I met because of an illness we both have, but we probably spent no more than an hour total out of 14 hours together talking about Parkinson’s disease. The part of our lives most in common to us, took a back seat to living life to the fullest and learning about all the other parts of our lives. It made its presence known in small ways during the day, but it was not the focus of the day! Sass and I have both been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease for about 6 years, and by the work of modern medicine and the grace of God, we are both doing just fine! And we are pretty determined to keep that attitude going …along with a little help from our friends and blogging. So keep an eye on us at www.funtimeswithsassafras.blogspot.com and www.parkinsonsjourney.com and I think you know why we had such a good time together! Until we meet again in person, Sass…I’ll meet ‘ya on the net!
P.S. When I talked to Sass the next day, I was not surprised to hear that she had gotten a tattoo, but had to settle for a rose instead of a frog. And of course we had a good laugh about it all!
Check out the pics of the day on my Facebook page here!
Judy
11/14/08