Little Cabin in the Woods

Well, my week in the mountains has come to an end, but what a great week it has been!  Monday, Sam and Addie and I had a great trip up and we were soon joined by Lori, Natalie, and Lauren.  We headed to Gatlinburg for a little walk about town.  Dinner at Blaine's and an adventure in the Mirror Maze was capped off with a trip to a nostalgic candy store.  Sam and Addie opted for root beer and wild cherry drops.  Lauren got a little stressed about not being in bed at her usual bedtime, but she did a great job hanging in there with the wild girls. 

Back at the cabin, the girls bedded down on the sofa bed while Lori took the upstairs bed.  Sam and I had some mother/son snuggle time and we were all sawing logs by 12.  Sam woke me up at 4:00 by yelling, "You LIED to me!"

Tuesday morning Grandmom joined us for a hike to Abrams Falls.  We had a lot of laughs in spite of how uncomfortable I was when nature called.  Of course the highlight of the trip was the Cades Cove soft serve ice cream as a reward for surviving the wild.

We all headed back to the cabin, exhausted, but satisfied. Lori, Natalie, Lauren and Grandmom all headed back to K-town which left Sam, Addie, and me to fend for ourselves. We had a laid back evening with Bagel Bites for dinner, America's Got Talent and The Voice for our evening entertainment.  All three of us snuggled in the big bed downstairs and although I was a little apprehensive about staying there without another adult, morning came quickly and we packed up Addie and headed to Knoxville.

My lunch with Hallerin was fabulous as it always is and I left filled up and encouraged, ready to run after God with my life and seek His direction instead of my own.  Hallerin's idea for 11.1.11 is as simple as 1 + 1 = ? and I can't wait for him to bring a powerful message of what it really takes to impact lives for eternity!

Sadly, Addie received word that a little girl from her 5th grade class had passed away, so she and I went to the funeral home to meet Taylor and comfort Courtney's mother as she grieved the loss of her little girl.  This was Addie's first time to see the body of someone she had known.  She was a little unsettled by it, but knew that the body was not Courtney and she could tell that Courtney was gone.

Tanya brought Spencer over to spend a few days with Sam at the cabin with us.  Once Tom got home, we followed each other up to Pigeon Forge Pizza Hut for a LONG dinner of pizza and wings.  Back at the cabin, Tom worked, and I made popcorn and cookies for the boys.  Addie had already gone to Elkmont with Taylor.

Tom left early Thursday morning, so the boys and I headed into town for bumper boats, putt-putt and go-carts topped off with Powerade slushies and a bag of ice for me!   Jackie and Livy came up about 2:00.  We went back to town for another round of putt-putt and dinner at Calhouns.  The kids have played corn hole and frolicked in the hot tub.  Life is definitely good.

Friday morning we headed to Gatlinburg for a little people watching and shopping.  Lunch as the Old Mill Restaurant was scrumptious and now we're headed out for a play.  Tomorrow brings soccer in Chattanooga and life picks up its pace again back to the real world!