spontaneous vacation

Earlier this summer, KB and I went on vacation. It's true; we got out of town for the first time since our honeymoon.  We'd had a rough couple of months, and we had a small window of opportunity. It felt divine; we needed to get away to restore our marriage, and God made it possible.

So we did. It was spontaneous and wonderful. That's right, I went on a spontaneous vacation...words that I have never before uttered.

Gatlinburg, Tennessee was our destination, and we stayed in a cabin in the mountains. I would highly recommend the cabin. It was affordable and had everything we wanted. The only challenge was navigating the steep driveway and winding roads. Good old "Betty Ford" worked hard and got us through.

This was our first time in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area. We spent most of our time in the Smoky Mountains National Park, hiking the trails and taking in the sights.

We even hiked eleven miles to take in the "best mountain views." Unfortunately, all we could see was fog.

There were signs all over warning us about black bears. While all of those around us seemed excited about the opportunity, I was slightly terrified. I had no desire to encounter a bear on the trails. We did actually see a bear in a valley, but luckily, it was from the comfort of our car.

There were plenty of other touristy activities to be done as well. Some of our favorites: becoming familiar with a variety of birds, playing mini-golf, and going to the Dixie Stampede.

I was not necessarily expecting to but I really enjoyed the Dixie Stampede. The food was excellent, the entertainment was fantastic, and there were horses. I'd go again, even if the North wins every time.

We came away realizing that we should make an effort to take vacations more regularly.   Duh!!