Hey friends!

It's so good to be back with you, we had a small hiatus from our computer.  It decided to do some crazy things so we had to take it to the computer hospital.  The computer and I have a love/hate relationship anyways, but I'm glad to have it back.

I've been anxiously waiting to tell you all about our trip to the great Smoky Mountains.  If you've never visited you really need to take a few days and explore the beautiful mountains, pristine water falls, and the bears. Every time I'm in Tennessee I hope beyond hope I will happen upon a bear, I don't want to get too close but I would just like a glimpse of one, this time was no different. We waited and waited for a bear to cross our path while out hiking but sadly,  it never happened. (as Shalom and I say, "Awww, Nuts!")

Anyway..., we drove and drove and finally reached our destination, a sweet little log cabin clear up a mountain 10 miles North of Gatlinburg.  We drove straight up the mountain on what the Tennesseans call "switch back curves."  If you don't know what that is there's really no explaining them, you just have to experience them.  They're kind of like curves that turn back on to themselves. We climbed up, up, and up some more........ then we came to our cabin.  We have to turn right to turn into the drive, the drive does not keep going up but it drops drastically DOWN.  Down the mountain.  Yes, too close to a precipice!  Before we went down that driveway I tell Tom to STOP! "Stop this van right now, I am NOT going down that driveway in this van.  You all can go without me!"  So he did.  I waited at the top, watching and hoping, hoping that this wouldn't be the last time I see my family healthy and whole.  Thankfully it wasn't.  They all were safe and sound as the van proved to have great breaks .  Thus began a new adventure for our family.

We had lots of wonderful homemade food, we dried apples, pineapples, and pears before we went.  We made up our own trail mixes, and had cheeses and carried them for our snack along our mountain hikes.  The guys  naturally hiked faster than us girls and there was at least one time where time was of the essence.  We needed to get up the mountain and back down again before dark.  I don't know about you but I don't want to be caught high up in a mountain after dark. As intriguing as that sounds to some, I'm not very brave in the dark and especially not when there's wild animals!  ~  So we had to do the boot scootin boogie....even us girls made it to the top and back down, very enjoyable, indeed!

Tom and I made our way to the hot tub out back of our cabin early one morning and watched the sun come up with the "smoke" all around us.  We had a quiet and serene place to catch up with one another and just sit and dream.  We have always been dreamers and the mountains lend themselves wholly to people like us and even add their own spin on life.  Aren't mountains some of the most majestic and awe inspiring creations known to all, man and beast alike?  I do believe.........

We headed North to Sevierville one Sunday where we found this great and true outlet mall (the kind where you have to walk outside to get to the stores). It was so big we couldn't cover it all in one day but we got some great deals and marvelled at the many stores that kept their doors propped open even when the weather was a cool 40 degrees. You know, heating the outside?  My parents would have said, "were you born in a barn?"  Obviously, the stores were just all about beckoning the customers in and not taking into account the rising cost of their heating bill or maybe they just didn't care. A bit puzzling to me.  Does anyone know why they do this?  

We walked in downtown Gatlinburg a couple times and did splurge a bit and bought an apple from a candy store.  This apple cost $6.00!.  This wasn't just any ole apple.  It was kind of a tart apple, smothered in thick caramel and drizzled with some kind of  real homemade whole cream chocolate sauce.  It also had tiny bits of hard candy of some sort on top of the whole thing. This was not a tiny shrunken apple, it was a huge giant apple but truth be told, I think if I put my mind to it i probably could have eaten the whole thing all by myself.  I was good though, and shared with everyone else. 

Some day though, I just might buy one of those huge, giant, delectable apples for myself and sneak out back of our little log cabin, sit in the hot tub overlooking the great Smokey Mountains and watch the sun come up (yes, I'll eat that apple for BREAKFAST), and savor every last sweet/tart bite of my selfish indulgence.  Next time........

Blessings on finding your rich homespun heritage!

janele ;)