This was the first Thanksgiving in years that we have traveled. Usually we stay put in November so we can rest up for the marathon known as December. Then we travel from Christmas Eve to New Years to Kentucky. This year, we are mixing things up a bit. We headed to the mountains and a cabin in Gatlinburg with Granny, Aunt B, and Uncle Bill for the weekend prior to Thanksgiving until Wednesday. Then we traveled to Kentucky to spend Thanksgiving and the day after with Meem and Peep.
If anything we have learned over the past few years is that it pays to be flexible. Yes, even for this chic who isn't a huge fan of change. It is actually pretty fun to switch things up a bit.
Yes, I did say that.
We had a great time in Gatlinburg. Once we got past the steep and very curvy trek up the mountain to our cabin, we were just fine. Yeah, when I booked our cabin, I misjudged our location. We usually stay in Pigeon Forge, so this was our first time actually staying in Gatlinburg, an area that I was obviously not very familiar. When the cabin description said it was a mile from downtown Gatlinburg, I thought..perfect. It did not, however, say it was a mile STRAIGHT UP a curvy, narrow road. Poor Granny was traumatized and threatened to not leave the cabin for the duration of our stay. We were able to coax her down the mountain a few times, but she rode the entire way up and down with her eyes glued shut.
I will do more research next time.
The boys enjoyed lots of reading time in Granny's bed. They also loved the hot tub. I think Dada got just as wet as the boys, and he didn't even get in the water. Granny, Eric and I took walks up the hill from our cabin. What a view we had!
We learned that Uncle Bill is quite a pool shark. And that Granny wasn't so bad herself. We had lots of friendly competition, where Uncle Bill soundly beat anyone who challenged him. We learned what in the world a bridge was and how to use it. The boys also learned that draping blankets over a pool table makes for a really cool fort. We usually find multiple purposes for the items in our presence.
Aunt B and Uncle Bill even brought a few early Christmas surprises. The boys were introduced to Toss-A-Cross, which was an instant hit. And who knew they made UK dinner plates? We do now, because we were the proud receipients of a set. Aunt B and Uncle Bill also treated us to breakfast at the Pancake pantry, which is always a delight. It is interesting because we have a Pancake Pantry nearly twenty minutes from our home, but we usually only visit the one that is four hours away. It is a fun Smoky Mountain tradition that Aunt B makes sure we honor each trip.
On our last day, Granny treated us to lunch at the Apple Barn. We then spent a while shopping at the stores there, in search of our family Christmas ornament (which was found and given to us by Aunt B and Uncle Bill). While everyone else shopped, Seth and Uncle Bill decided to do their own thing. And tried not to run over anyone while playing tag.
Leaving sure would have been a whole lot harder had we not been headed for Memaw and Pepaw's house. It was great to wind up our trip spending a couple of days with them and the rest of the family in Flemingsburg celebrating Thanksgiving.
We miss our family so much, but it is so wonderful to spend these special times together. It reminds us that we have so much to be thankful for!!
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