13th Anniversary Trip

I mentioned in a previous post that I thought coffee was my love language, the truth behind that statement is that quality time is what fills me up.

Daniel's work schedule over the last two years hasn't provided a lot of time for quality time, so a last-minute anniversary trip to Gatlinburg was something we were in desperate need of.

It was a trip with kids in tow, but sometimes you just have to make it work. 

We rented a little cabin just outside of Gatlinburg and squeezed in some of the activities that we like best. It has actually been 5 years since our last trip to these mountains and many memories kept flooding back as we drove around and visited old spots we loved. 

Reminiscing is good for the soul and we have a lot of fond memories from experiences in these mountains.

My favorite thing to do on vacation is to eat out for breakfast and we had 3 amazing breakfast experiences, which I will share in a later post.

 

Our first day in the mountains was cold with snow flurries swirling around. We used the day to visit shops that Daniel wanted to see (Daniel and Jack had a blast at Bud's Gun Shop, Coleman, the Dewalt Store and the Smoky Mountain KnifeWorks).

We finished out our day with a visit to Bass Pro Shop where we snagged a time slot to see Santa. The boys were both troopers had we finished the day with dinner at Bass Pro.

 

Saturday we woke up to sunshine and decided it was a perfect day to be outside. After a big brunch, we headed up to Newfound Gap. We had hoped to drive up to Clingman's Dome, but the road was closed due to ice.

 

We bundled the boys up and stepped out of the car to freezing temps. The outside temperature was a balmy 30º but the windchill was probably in the teens. We huddled together for photos before hurrying back to our car to warm our frozen cheeks and fingers.

 

After Newfound Gap, we went back down to hike to Laurel Falls (I will share more in a later post). Our love of the outdoors must shine through because the first thing we were asked when we stepped out of the car was, "You guys look like you hike a lot." This from a stranger at the trailhead who had a question about the area.

 

The Laurel Falls trail goes up for about a mile on a paved path that has steep drop offs on one side. We decided to push Jack in the BOB stroller and the entire trip he kept saying, "Daddy, you're making me nervous!" Thankfully we made it to the 80-ft falls without a hitch.

 

It was a fun weekend and I'm so glad we took a moment to celebrate 13 years of marriage by spending time together as a family.