A Thrill of Hope

Christmas isn't about gifts and vacation and travel aren't just about the shops and shows. 

It's with a thrill of hope when luggage is packed with the promise of adventure ...

... it's the journey, the laughs, the smiles and the whole experience.

We couldn't wait to get into the mountains. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and those winding roads with magnificent mountains on each side, that's where I wanted to be.

Beauty surrounded us. 

Lighthearted and relaxed, my daughter pointed for me to look at the ash on top of the mountains. I laughed and told her that was snow, snow-capped mountains. We laughed, but to give her credit, it did look like a dusting of ash.

Driving through tunnels in the mountains, we played the game we always do, and we held our breath. The goal is to make it through the tunnel without breathing. 

Enjoying the countryside, the crystal clear waters of the rocky rivers that ran along side the mountains, seeing different homes, lifestyles and cultures. Just talking, laughing, and sharing.

The gasp of seeing something breathtaking and beautiful, the laughter of the ridiculous, the smile of this Momma when my little girl said she was sleepy and asked if I was okay driving while she sleeps.

This Momma is always okay, sleep well. This Momma also enjoys the quiet and am perfectly happy and content driving and taking in the views in the quiet of a vehicle surrounded by mountains and sunshine.

Driving home we planned to leave a bit early on Wednesday due to the high volume of traffic the day before Thanksgiving. I wanted to be through the winding mountains, before traffic and before it got dark. We successfully made it home with no traffic delays in 8 hours with 2 stops. 

Sunny & 73 degrees in West Virginia, it felt incredible to crack the windows for fresh air and the sun was hot on my skin. 

A thrill of hope for the trip, happy to get home to her babies, it wasn't about the shows and stores, "Maybe travel, ... perhaps ... means a little bit more!'"

A Thanksgiving 1st

A full afternoon of cooking and the kitchen is clean. Leftovers split, packet up and sent home with my girls (I'm not big on Thanksgiving leftovers) and I'm ready for cold med's and going to bed.

I always say, "I love you ... you're my best friend ... you are beautiful & perfect ... I'm so happy to see you ... I missed you ... " etc to Sofia. Words of affirmations are one of my love languages and believe me, I lavishly cover her affirming her worth and my love.  

Tonight as I was putting her in car seat as they were leaving Sofia said, "I love you, Gamma!" 

Hearing her sweet little words, was magical to this Grandmomma's ears.

What a wonderful Thanksgiving 1st.

Quintessential Christmas

Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge is completely lit up for a quintessential Christmas. 

With so much to do, my daughter and I were on the same page sticking with quaint shops in Gatlinburg and hands-down preferred Historical Pigeon Forge. 

My most favorite store is the Savannah Bee Company with everything honey, I was in heaven. I feel I should open a location where I live. 

We ate at the Pancake Pantry, a must do for Mariah. She & Jeremy ate here as on of their stops on their 3-week honeymoon and it was worth the themed pancakes they offered. The line was wrapped around the building and I for one am not a wait-in-line person. 

We took our number, 61, and at about 10 minutes waiting a woman came up and asked our number. We cut ahead of at least 100+ people waiting to get in to eat, because we were a party of two. Yayyy, us! 

Nestled behind the Pancake Pantry was a little village of shops and the Donut Friar, which made Southern Living magazine as the best donuts, so of course we stopped. 

An absolute must see and do is the Hatfields & McCoys Christmas Disaster dinner theater! We were looking forward to an evening of comedy and music and it was so much more. We laughed out loud the entire evening as they integrated comedy, music and foot stompin' dancing into a show about the historical Hatfield & McCoy family feud. It was a funny and heart-warming show that ended in the true meaning of Christmas. 

Pa Hatfield shared the true meaning of Christmas and one of the cast stepped up and bellowed O Holy Night. When she came to, "and the soul felt it's worth" ... I was most grateful for my print I just bought. It was powerful.

The food, amazing and sweet tea is plentiful. 

After the show, we went back into Gatlinburg for the Christmas lights and decided to take the sky lift.

On top of that mighty mountain was a Christmas village like no other and completely unexpected. We perused the shops with grateful hearts we found this hidden treasure. Hallmark should seriously consider this destination for a Christmas movie!

What goes up, must come down. That meant us, too. 

This ski lift had a simple bar that pulled over the lap to keep you in your seat suspended at least 100 ft in the air above the ground. Tall mountain + high off the ground, look how far we had to take it down this mountain into the heart of Gatlinburg. Sunny & 55-60 during the day and 30's at night, this steal bar was pretty cold on my death grip. 

It was beautiful. Everything was beautiful. From the cabin, to the mountains, to the Christmas lights, quaint village shops, all of our senses were set on extraordinary for days.

This trip was a perfectly planned segue coming home to Thanksgiving and the Christmas season. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is on, I'm going to take my time cooking, and can't wait for my babies to walk through the door. 

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

A Momma & Daughter Smoky Mountain Holiday

The extraordinary happens when something far exceeds your expectations and this cabin and our vacation was just that.

There's so much to share and I'm going to do it over several posts, because it's still hard for me to believe all we accomplished and experienced in a few days still with plenty of downtime for real relaxation.

First, I will say that beautiful mountain made me grateful I own a Jeep, simply to get up and down steep and winding one lane paths with no guardrails, the only light on the mountain was the moon light, and some pretty significant straight-down drops. Our cabin (one of probably 50) had the best view. That wasn't by chance, I sincerely prayed for a great cabin. 

The nature and beauty of this mountain was more than I expected. From waking up and relaxing on the porch ...

... 

... to the jacuzzi at night, we never got tired of the view.

We pretty much kept a constant fire in the fireplace that made the cabin warm and toasty.

Of course, I brought my new favorite coffee mugs. Hot coffee, hot tea, hot chocolate, every detail counts when planning. 

This Smoky Mountain getaway was sensory overload. The sights, the sounds, the scents, all the feels, and oh my gosh, the food we had.

The South is famous for sweet tea, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, bbq, pancakes, fudge, grits, and now I know they are all about creamy [vegetable] soup. It's everywhere. I need to detox. 

We ate out a lot, but I wanted my Mariah to wake up to the aroma of a country breakfast. That's the way it's supposed to be when your in the mountains. I would wake up, turn on the fireplace, put on a pot of coffee, open the windows to take in the view, then make breakfast. 

Mariah, a young momma, enjoyed sleeping through the night. I wanted her to rest and be unrushed, just taking care of her. 

One of the mornings, after breakfast we decided to stay in our pajamas and watch the movie, The Holiday. The cast is well-chosen and the dialogue... so beautifully and powerfully written. It's exhilarating and reminding and I forgot how much I love it.    

It felt good to be in this perfect cabin with so much to do in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge; yet, relaxing was also a big deal to both of us. Spending time at the cabin on that mountain is where rest came. 

I seriously fell in love with this tub and this cast iron pitcher!! This tub, a bath bomb, and homemade Mountain Berry soap, became a morning, afternoon, and sometimes an evening retreat. 

My next house is going to have this tub and I'm looking for this pitcher. No, it's not sensational, but when your in a deep tub of hot water, this cabinesque & rustic pitcher belongs here and just feels right in my hand pouring the perfect amount of water. I've never been a "bath" person, always preferring showers, until now. 

I found this cabin journal and as I flipped through the pages of guests before us, it was fun to read their stories and comments on who they are, why they came here, and what they loved best.

I loved all of it. 

Finding my pen, I sat down and wrote our names and our story/experience at the cabin. 

Dawn + Mariah

A Momma & Daughter Smoky Mountain Holiday

I can't wait to share more tomorrow.

A Smoky Mountains Holiday

Country roads, take me home to the place I belong
in the Smoky Mountains, mountain mamma, take me home, 
country roads

I made a list of what I want this Christmas to look like. New places, new adventures, how I want it to feel, and to kick off the season I only want to be in the mighty Smoky Mountains of Tennessee in a picturesque log cabin, unplugged.

Our beautiful cabin comes all-inclusive with an outdoor jacuzzi on the back porch overlooking the mountains, with a large indoor fireplace, and a large soaking tub in the bedroom. My Mariah and I are taking this trip together and I can't wait to wake up early, put a pot of coffee, and have her wake up smelling the aroma of a country breakfast after getting a full nights sleep.

My Comfy & Warm mugs are coming, too. I'm thinking a good book, a cup of hot tea in front of a fireplace.

Quaint shops in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge to take in the romance of Christmas, it's the fresh country air, the picturesque views, and winding mountains that I crave.

My grandmother lived in the mountains and she never did leave. She loved it. Perhaps, one day, I will get my family to relocate together where the views are breathtaking, to live where there is a lot more nature, and life is a little bit slower.

We come home to Thanksgiving. The turkey and dinner is bought and I will be ready to wake up Thursday morning, enjoy the Thanksgiving Day Parade on television, spend the day cooking and prepare for my babies and grandbabies to come over for dinner together.

Tomorrow begins a much needed vacation and I am breathless with excitement to load up, pull out of town to destination, the Smoky Mountains.

I Stood There Smiling

Okay, you know in the movies, when a woman is innocently standing in the window in the evening, looks over and the apartment across the way has the lights on and they see a guy naked, so they stand there and just watch?

This is real.

I come home from work late tonight and walk across the house to close the verticals in the living room... and pause. The guy that lives behind my parents house does not have curtains or window coverings and every light is on in his condo. The back of his condo faces the back of my parents condo [Yes, I'm still here and am staying here while they are snowbirds in Florida all winter]. 

I confess, I pause for a second. Does he really not have window coverings? It's late and with it being dark out there is full view to his house. For the record, I am not a nosy person. Quite honestly, I don't care what you have, I was more curious. I may have stood there for 10 seconds, when he walked up to his living room window. He was NAKED! What?! 

When I come home from work, I have a routine. I close the windows in the living room, then my room. So, I go into my bedroom to close the windows, when I see him walk through his room into the bathroom buck naked. Listen, you don't prance around naked at night with all the lights on and no window coverings unless you want to be seen.

Nice butt. Nice body! This guy is a health nut and does yoga on his patio, I've seen him out there a lot this summer. My mom had one recommendation when I moved in, "Don't fall for the guy behind their condo." He's single, but pretty certain he's an obsessive cleaner. He washes his satellite dish on the roof of his house too often and I did see him sweep the little bit of snow that was on his patio off the other day. An extreme perfectionist.

I know, okay, back to the window... Perhaps, I stood there for a bit [2-3 minutes] curious. He is in and out of the bathroom and going room to room. It's also been a long time since I've seen a man naked. 

Realizing I was smiling, I felt like a creeper and closed the blinds. 

It's dark at 5 o'clock now and now I know the neighbor prances around naked. This is going to be a long winter. 

Sweet Dreams

Being a tea lover, unsweetened iced tea for it's cold refreshing taste, sweet tea a special treat with sugar added, varieties of hot tea from Tea Co. businesses in countless flavors, to my newfound favorite, Sweet Dreams.

Hot tea is a comfort beverage and wanting to pick up a box of caffeine-free tea so I can enjoy a hot cup in the evening, I found this. 

Chamomile and soothing mint, it hit me that I've slept fantastic since I began drinking this in the evenings. 

A comfort evening beverage and a good nights sleep, I find I look forward to a great mug with comfort tea as part of evening routine.