Koopsen Spring Break (The End)

It's been a full week since we got back from our Spring Break extravaganza in North Carolina, yet I'm only now getting around to summing up the end of the trip for you.  It goes to show how real life hits you like a ton of bricks when you get home from vacation.  One minute you're on the beach eating strawberries, and then - BAM! - you're beating deadlines and trying to explain diagramming sentences for the hundredth time and rushing around to get errands done and setting your countdown clock to your next break (which for me is six weeks and two days away, but who's counting?).

Here is how we ended out the week:  Rex and his parents decided to drive four hours out of our way on the way home because they wanted to stop at the Smokey Mountain Knife Works (a knife shop in Tennessee).  I considered protesting this detour, but decided against it for a few reasons:

1. I know how much Rex loves knives
2. They all seemed pretty excited about it
3. I was having fun with Rex's family and wasn't ready to be home yet

And the all-important reason...

4. If I protested I was going to lose anyway

So I rode along on a million hour drive through North Carolina (that state is WIDE) until we got to Tennessee.  By the time we got to the Smokey Mountain Knife Works, I couldn't tell if we were more excited about the knife shop or the fact that we could finally get out of the car.

I'm so glad that we made that detour, because Rex says that Smokey Mountain Knife Works was his favorite part of the trip.  He was almost as excited as that time when we stopped at the Duck Dynasty warehouse in Louisiana.  I don't know much about knives, but I supported Rex by basically following him around and saying, "Yes, that knife looks cool!  You should buy it!"  We came home with a bag full of knives, and I'm not really sure what they all do or why he needed so many types, but Rex sure was excited about it.  I figure maybe this is how Rex feels when I take him shoe shopping.

Here are some pictures from the knife works.  This first one gives you a feel for the ambiance of the store.  It was definitely a Rex-type place!

Here is Rex looking at knives.

This was a wooden pocket knife set that doesn't have any metal pieces.  Rex's mom pointed out that this means you could probably bring it on a plane.  That made me wonder, though - how effective would a wooden pocket knife actually be?  Also, it's not like you're going to tell a terrorist - "HEY!  Hold on a second while I construct this '100% genuine' wooden pocket knife, and then I will take you on!"

Lots of Swiss army knives with all sorts of gadgety attachments.

Here is Rex, happy with all of his purchases.

Here we are by the sign outside the store.

After we went to the knife works, we went to an outlet mall nearby.  I snapped this picture inside of the Vera Bradley outlet.  It was much more colorful and had many fewer dead things than the knife works.

After a successful shopping day, we rounded out the evening with dinner at Ryan's, an all you can eat buffet.  Everything was delicious, and it was a great way to end the day.

That night we stayed at a Holiday Inn Express, and the next morning we woke up early and drove the rest of the way home.  That was pretty uneventful, so I didn't take any pictures of that part.  I think the plan is to go back to the beach house two years from now, so I'm going to start my countdown!  Everyone had a great time.  I wish I was back there already.