Every Fall, Grammy and Pappy offer to keep the boys for us for a few days so we can sneak away. Our usual spot is a cabin in the Smoky Mountains.
This year we left on a Tuesday afternoon and came back late on Friday night. Going during the week is definitely one of the perks of Josh's firefighting job. He only used one vacation day, and we avoided the massive weekend crowds.
We did some hiking (Rainbow Falls one day, Laurel Falls another). We did some outlet shopping. We walked around Gatlinburg. And we took in some of the local restaurants - the Peddler in Gatlinburg and the Old Mill in Pigeon Forge.
But mostly, we just enjoyed some downtime. Sleeping in. Soaking in the hot tub on our back deck. Watching the gas logs in the double-sided fireplace. Keeping our own hours without worrying about school or therapy or other activities. We just lived in the moment, which is incredibly rare.
Special thanks to Grammy and Pappy who took care of the boys, and did worry about all those things like school and homework and therapies. And also special thanks to the school teams, who helped the boys with some much needed routine while we were away.
Pictures from our trip start here.
