This was mine and Marcos first hike in America together. The last hike we did was in Monte Verde, Brazil, so it of course was a bit different from that hike, but I loved showing Marcos the beautiful trials of the Tennessee Mountains.
Marcos and I were both so excited about going on our little hike to Benton Falls. Benton Falls is about a 1.5 mile hike and the destination is most certainly worth the hike, a 65 foot waterfall! If you live near the Cherokee National Forest and need some fresh air, I would highly recommend taking a little hike at this place! Just bring $3 for the parking fee.
This was mine and Marcos first hike in America together. The last hike we did was in Monte Verde, Brazil, so it of course was a bit different from that hike, but I loved showing Marcos the beautiful trials of the Tennessee Mountains.
We had the time of our lives reaching Benton Falls! As I said in the video below, it has literally been a few years that I've done this hike and I forgot just how beautiful it was. We were both just in awe at the magnificent beauty that was right in front of us. It was a bit chilly that day and I even got Marcos to wear my toboggan at one point, please don't hate me Marcos...lol. But not only that I got him to pose in front of the waterfall doing his masculine poses. We also got lucky though, because we ran into some other hikers that took our picture for us in front of the beautiful magnificent waterfall!
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The River Tour
There really never is a dull moment with me and my Brazilian. We always manage to find the best adventures ever! Fortunately for us, the TVA dam was on and the water was flowing pretty good! We absolutely loved every minute of all of the beauty that was around us! I gave Marcos the grand tour of the Olympic section, where the raft guides typically put in for the middle trips, the different rapids, and we even got to see some kayaker's go down the river. It was absolutely perfect! We also found a flag pole with Brazil on it, since they were in the Olympics years ago.
Video Clips from our excursion
It was so fun to go climbing in the Olympic section showing Marcos the ropes of the river. I definitely can't wait for us to go back for the rafting season to go rafting. Being out there in the river made me miss rafting so much. Marcos hasn't really went rafting like this and it is going to be loads of fun when we do finally get to go rafting together, it's right around the corner!
Marcos Tries Fried Pickles
I of course had to introduce Marcos to fried pickles, it's only a Southern tradition! Good news is that Marcos definitely really enjoyed the fried pickles and definitely understands why they are such a big deal, but not only that, he tried fried pickles at the best place on the river, the Damn Deli. I was definitely excited for one thing that they were open at this time as well!
To the Rocky Mountains!
The Tennessee Rocky Mountains were absolutely gorgeous that day. Marcos and I enjoyed every minute! The whole adventure going to the top was just awesome and I'm so glad I got to give Marcos the grand tour of the Tennessee Rocky Mountains before he left. Granted it was still winter time when we went up there and it wasn't exactly green, but it was still so beautiful and perfect! I love being a goofball with my Brazilian. He truly is my happy place and always knows the right things to say and do to put a smile on my face. I am so grateful God blessed me with such an amazing man!!!
Marcos and I were beyond super excited about going to the Tennessee Aquarium. I hadn't been to the Tennessee Aquarium since I was little and since then they have done a lot of remodeling. It was amazing and definitely worth going! They had two separate buildings: one for river creatures and the other was for ocean creatures. As soon as we first got there we stood in front of a green screen and got some pictures done and were able to purchase them as soon as we were done with our aquarium visit as you'll see in the pictures above. The only problem I had with this trip was the fact that I wore high heels and I haven't been in high heels in like 5 months, so needless to say my feet were in pain about half-way through. So note to self, don't go to an aquarium in high heels if it's been a few months since you've worn them. Seahorses The Seahorse exhibit is always a pretty popular exhibit at the aquarium. Everyone loves the seahorses, they swim so elegantly and beautifully. It was pretty cool to see the different types of sea horses there are. We loved watching these gorgeous creatures swim around in their tanks. Otter Time!The otter's were honestly my favorite. They are so fun to watch and they definitely will put a smile on your face! All of them were so full of energy and they were definitely putting on a show for us. Right behind us was a beautiful waterfall that Marcos and I had to get a picture taken in front of and thankfully there was someone there to kindly to take our photo for us. Marcos and I can't miss out on a fun photo opportunity! Froggy/tortoise time Frogs and tortoises are always so much fun to watch. There were a variety of different types of frog's. Frogs in tanks of water, frogs in outside of the water, and different colors of frogs like the blue as you'll see in the pictures. And there were also some pretty cool tortoises as well like the huge one as you'll see in the pictures above as well. There was even tortoises that had pig noises! Fishy Time We saw so many amazing fishes, sharks, and jelly fish. We had an absolute blast looking at the different types of fishes. We definitely managed to take some cool pictures as you'll see above with all of the fishes, jelly fishes, and sharks swimming around. Thankfully we were on the other side of the glass, these sharks did not look friendly at all! The Butterfly Effect We fell in love with the butterfly garden. It was definitely another one of my favorite parts. The butterflies all loved Marcos it seemed. When I tried to hold one that was on Marcos hand, the butterfly just flew right back to him. It was the cutest, but I was pretty jealous! I have always been a butterfly lover. The atmosphere was utterly just amazing, because this room was just filled with so many butterflies, calming waterfalls, and lots of joyous people jumping for butterflies. Penguins Rock And last but not least, the penguin exhibit!
It's always a blast to see the penguin exhibit. The Penguins are always so playful, swimming around and walking funny. Not only are they fun to watch, but they are also gorgeous creatures to look at with their tuxedo suits and some even have fun blond hair going on. You can always enjoy the penguin exhibit. It's definitely a good time. Marcos and I were so glad we got to go to the aquarium before he left to go back to Brazil and we sure did have a wonderful time! I look forward to go exploring even more to see even more amazing wildlife creatures in the future with my Brazilian man! It comes to no surprise probably to most of you that Marcos & I had to go visit with the wild life on another one of our adventures while we were in Florida. Marcos & I had such a blast exploring the Alligator farm. It was absolutely amazing to see so much wild life in one place. There were some areas that have been added on since the last time I had been to the alligator farm in St. Augustine, FL and I am so glad I got to show Marcos this wonderful place filled with the most gorgeous creatures at the Alligator farm. Walk on the wild side We were in awe as to how many alligators and crocodiles were at this place. There were baby alligators and crocodiles, white alligators, and many more different types of alligators and crocodiles at this place! Some of these alligators/crocodiles were super massive and you definitely wouldn't want to make one of them mad that's for sure! It was so funny watching them snap at each other as we were all throwing alligator pellet food for them to eat as you'll see in the video below. the other super fun creatures! Not only were there so many alligators and crocodiles, but there were also many other different animals from all around the world, including Brazil! I absolutely love seeing the South American birds, squirrels, turtles, and many other animals right in the very neck of the woods of the good ole' U.S.A. It was exciting to see them all! One things for sure, Marcos and I will never get tired of going to zoo's and animal farms like this; we turn into kids all over again and get so excited about seeing all of the amazing exotic animals. Fun Fact: Crocodiles were mummified It's not really a fun fact, but Marcos and I found it very interesting that Egyptians mummified crocodiles for their own reasons. Back in the day, during the Egyptian times, Crocodiles apparently were indeed mummified. The Egyptians kept a pool of crocodiles in a temple until they hatched and would then kill them in order to sell to pilgrims visiting their temple.
All of the Lights!
Christmas time in Brazil is a bit different compared to the traditional Christmas' in America. Typically the Brazilian's don't decorate like crazy like American's do when it comes to Christmas lights decorated outside your house. The only time you'll see houses decorated with Christmas lights are in areas as shown in areas as shown in the video and it is typically at a big Christmas event as you'll see in the video above. Marcos' mom, Marcos, and I had a blast exploring the big Christmas event that everyone in town showed up for. It took us forever to park, but it was well worth it as we explored the Christmas event. We saw that there were so many beautiful Christmas lights all over this place. Plus, on top of all of the Christmas lights surrounding us, the event was supporting a recycling cause, because everything was made out of plastic bottles. It definitely was a cool way for the Brazilians to promote recycling in a huge Christmas event! Of course Christmas is so much more then just the Christmas lights and the Brazilians sure do keep that in focus. They still exchange Christmas presents and some have Christmas trees in their homes, but they always keep focused on what is most important during the Christmas holidays: Christ, family, and friends. Christmas in São Carlos, Brazil
Not only did we see stuff like this near Marcos' parents home, but we also saw a recycling Christmas promotional where Marcos and I used to live, in São Carlos. It was pretty cool when I first saw something like this, because it is so different from what I'm used to.
I absolutely loved the idea of using plastic bottles to promote recycling awareness. It just breaks Christmas down to a simpler time, which is what it should be, a simpler time. Christmas shouldn't just be about the hustling of shopping and the presents. It should be surrounded by what is most important as I said above of how the Brazilians look at it; Christmas centered on Christ, family, and friends. The Unexpected Trip
The Presents
Who doesn't love present time? Well, the answer to that silly question, would be of course, NO ONE! Everyone loves present time! It doesn't matter how old you get, you'll never stop loving present time. The joy you feel as you're opening a present or the excitement you feel as you watch someone open a present that you bought for them, it is all in all the best feeling.
But of course Christmas isn't just about present time, that's just a bonus, it's about being with the one's you love, which was why we were all so excited that we were able to sit down with our grandparents on Christmas Day and exchange Christmas presents with them. I am so glad we were able to make this dream come true for my grandma, plus it had been a long overdue visit!
Grandpa loved his fun present as you can see in the video above. He has always loved getting fun singing stuffed animals or anything really that you pushed and it sings a fun song or just a funny saying. And we actually found this "sexy and I know it" bear for him right before we left for Florida!
The Special Presents!
My Grandma got these dolls for us when we were really little and has been saving these dolls for Collin and I until we got older before she gave them to us. My grandmother has always collected dolls like these and has given Collin and I quite a few of these type of porcelain dolls over the years.
I absolutely love my doll! Her name is "Jessica" and she came with a swing as well. Collin's doll was named "Colleen" and came with a wicker chair and a tiny bear. We love collecting these very special porcelain dolls. Collin and I will try our very best to carry on this special tradition.
Don't Mess with Grandma's Chocolates
And last, but not least, my grandmother told us the story of people messing with her chocolate. My grandmother actually did quite a bit of story telling and I love to hear her reminisce about the good ole' days. This story in particular is quite amusing and I loved watching my grandfather deny EVERYTHING, as you'll see in the video. If there's one things that's for sure is my grandmother loves her chocolates, especially if it's a particular chocolate she thoroughly enjoys!
Welcomed Marcos to Cleveland the Right Way!
Within the first few weeks of being back in the good ole' Tennessee rocky mountains, I was able to introduce Marcos to quite a bit of my family & friends! For this first post of a few of being reunited with family and friends, I mainly wanted to just touch on a few highlights of some quick visits with family and friends. I will share on the many more adventures we ventured on while showing Marcos around Tennessee in future posts.
First off, we started out with some drinks with my parents for the first day of course.
My parent's could instantly see why I love this man so much! My Auntie Michele and Uncle James stopped over at one point to officially meet Marcos, with consideration to the fact that Marcos has only "met" my family through FaceTime. All in all it was a huge success with my family meeting my Brazilian man, but of course the fun did not stop there, besides this is the Quinlan family! We broke out into a sing-a-long to the famous Taylor Swift song "shake it off" as you'll see in the video below. Reunited with my Bestie Diane
Reunited with my Bestie Hayley
Reunited with Sonya & Patrick & her Puppies
Reunited with My Hair Dresser!
Reunited with another bestie Adriena
And last but not least, I was finally reunited with this amazing fun spirited woman Adrenia Clark!
I was so excited for Marcos to meet her, because Lord knows there is never a dull moment with this wonderful friend of mine. She is very dear to my family and I and I am forever grateful she came into our lives. We got to share in on a great welcome into the new year party and a grand tour of one of Chattanooga's main attractions, which I will share more about in future posts. Farewell Vegas, Until next time! We all had such an amazing time in Vegas and are definitely looking forward to another trip there. I am so glad Liz was able to join us in the Vegas fun! It wouldn't have been the same without her, plus I needed to see my bestie upon returning to America. It had been long overdue! Once Marcos and I parted ways with Liz, since her flight was earlier than ours, we had to do a little last minute exploring, which lead us to a beautiful attraction in Vegas. Venice, Italy in Las Vegas, Nevada Marcos and I very much fell instantly in love with the replica of Venice, Italy in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was absolutely astonishing inside. It was light up everywhere and it seriously gave you the feeling of being on the actual streets of Venice, Italy. On the ceiling of this magnificent place it was painted like a beautiful blue sky and it was also lite up so beautifully. The Swatch Flip Movie Dance As Marcos and I were venturing around Vegas we found the Swatch Watch Store and they were having a promotions day. We were able to get this swatch flip book for free and Marcos also got his Swatch Watch cleaned for free as well. You could say it was a win win! Plus we had so much fun making this book as you can see in the video. Our Last Sight seeing in Vegas We squeezed in some last minute sight seeing before taking off for our flight to go visit my family in Tennessee. We still were so amazed with how much there is to do and how we barely touched a whole lot of the Vegas fun. One things for sure, we will definitely be more prepared next time so we can see more shows and visit the many exhibits they have there. Farewell Vegas, until next time!
Getting Ready to Explore more of Vegas with Liz Maria Liz and I are were a bit excited to go exploring more of Vegas as you can see in the video. We spent two hours getting ready between doing makeup and hair. Her and I obviously have way too much fun and are about the fun! It's always a good time when her and I are together! The Vegas Adventures: Day & Night We had so much fun exploring Vegas during the day and night time! The buildings and lights were all so magnificent. We especially had a lot of fun in the M&M Store! There were four levels of candy fun. Marcos especially loved the fourth floor that had a NASCAR race car! We had such a blast exploring all of the streets of Vegas and their casinos. We could easily see why people fall in love with Vegas. We now are in love and seriously can't wait to go back and explore even more. Marcos Teaches Liz how to Eat Chicken Wings the Brazilian Way In the Brazilian culture, it's customary to eat with a fork and knife and to not use your fingers, typically with every meal; even with eating chicken wings. With that said, when Liz saw Marcos eating with a knife and fork with chicken wings she wanted to try eating that way. Needless to say, Liz had a tough time of not eating a chicken wing the American way. The Bellagio And last but not least on Vegas Part 3 was the Bellagio and the Bellgio Fountain Show! We were all so amazed as soon as we walked in; It was truly a winter wonderland! We were told the Bellagio was a must see and I am so glad we hoped on an Uber to check it out. It was filled with lots of Holiday Christmas cheer and the view was just astonishing! There were flowers, lights, Christmas animals, and of course a gorgeous Christmas tree. It was one of the most gorgeous Christmas decorating site I have ever seen. The Bellagio Fountain Show Not only did the Bellagio have an incredible view inside, but it also had one of the most incredible fountain shows right in front of it that I have ever seen as well! This was one of my favorites in Vegas! The Reunion
In the video, Marcos and I were on the way to pick Liz Maria up from the airport and go to our amazing hotel Luxor that was located right off the strip!
Exploring Vegas
So we started our our exploring adventures with a attending a time share convention so that we could get 3 discounted tickets for $100 for a Cirque Du Soleil Show and $25 back. The time share convention actually ended up being quite interesting and something we may do in the future, but Marcos and I are currently unemployed so we can't be doing anything like that right now. But it was worth attending and thinking forward in investing in our future. It was also worth going to get those discounted Cirque Du Soleil tickets as well, because the show was amazing!
The cirque du soleil Show
We thoroughly enjoyed the Cirque Du Soleil show. The clowns in the beginning were of course very entertaining. They were climbing overs our chairs at one point. After the opening entertainment the Cirque Du Soleil finally began; We got to witness the most amazing acrobatic performances in Las Vegas.
I absolutely love going to shows like these and hope to go back to watch more of these in good ole' Las Vegas! There are so many different types of Cirque Du Soleil shows, broadway shows, and concerts that go on in Las Vegas so I know for sure that won't be the last time we see a show in Las Vegas. |
Author: Jessica Noel QuinlanI am a Multiplatform Freelance Journalist hoping to land a contracted news reporter/presenter role in the near future. Archives
October 2020
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