We have never vacationed this time of year, but I have to say that it may be my new favorite time to have a little getaway! We left for a fun-filled 5 days and 4 nights in the beautiful Great Smokey Mountains Friday and just returned last night. We also did something completely new to us and vacationed with 5 other families, 4 of which we had never met before! The trip is an annual event for a good friend of mine that I have made at the gym and they were down a family, so she invited us to go along with them and it was one of the best times that we have had vacationing with others!
The chalet we stayed in was amazing, nestled on top of a mountain and had all the amenities you can imagine, including hot tubs, expansive decks overlooking the woods with rockers and swings to enjoy the view, a huge 19 foot TV screen that dropped down from the trees and fireplaces all over the place. It was also gigantic, a 6 bedroom/6.5 bath chalet, which made a perfect spot for 6 separate families. In all there were 12 adults and 16 kids that ranged from ages 16 down to Hayden at 13 months. A large group of kids, that would seem to be chaotic, but they actually all got along great and entertained each other.
The entire trip was basically about relaxation, which included two full days hibernating in the chalet. The kids ran around and played non-stop and the adults were able to eat tons of food, watch football and play cards. But we also made time to see some sights that are unique to Gatlinburg. We visited the Titanic Exhibit, ate at the Apple Barn, spent a day at Ober Gatlinburg, browsed the shops of downtown Gatlinburg, and of course did some outlet shopping! It was the perfect amount of time to be away, coupled with great company and a good mix of activity and downtime.
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| Watching some college football on Saturday |
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| The kitchen with all the grub! |
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| Beautiful view from Mt. Harrison |
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| Our family at the top of Mt. Harrison (Hayden is zonked out on me!) |
We all enjoyed our mini-vacation and loved getting to spend time away from the hectic everyday life we can sometimes get overwhelmed with. It was also nice this time of year, where the holidays are upon us and with that comes even more craziness than usual. The kids enjoyed making new friends and being out of their daily routine and Steve and I had a great time getting to spend some time with other adults, but also getting family time with the kids. We hope that we will be able to make the trip again next year and have the opportunity to make more memories with a fun group of people in a beautiful setting!
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