Vacation 2012: A Pictorial

Hi Friends!

Vacation was great. Well, parts of it were; other parts were tough. On the whole, it was a good time with my girls and hubs, and those are the memories I'm keeping!





 

Scenes like this (above) were abundant. We nailed the peak of color the week we were in NC. I cannot tell you how breathtakingly beautiful it was!

 

We spent a day in Cherokee, which is a tourist trap Native American reserve. It was a fun day for the kids, spent reminiscing as well as making new memories.

Our traditional trip to Saunooke's Village in Cherokee, NC.

 

We ate MORE than our fair share of ice cream on this trip. :)


Here's the whole crew by the water wheel (another tradition):

David, Michelle, Lauren, Lexi, Erin, Randy (FIL), Vicki (MIL), Eleanor (GMIL), Lester (GFIL), Brooke, and Avery.

It's not a great shot of any of us, but it's (sounding like Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof) Tra-DI-tion! :)

We walked a lot that day, hiked the Joyce Kilmer (who was a man by the way, and wrote the poem "Tree"...you know, "I think that I shall never see a poem so lovely as a tree") Memorial Forest one day, and took a few walks around our mountain.

Don't let go! You can do it!!



"Yes, I am ba-rave!" (Lexi [19])

Cool tree-root "bench". (Erin [14])

GORGEOUS sky up through the trees at Joyce Kilmer.







Walking Thunderbird Mountain. For some reason we were all color-coordinated that day. LOL

Other than that we sat around and ate. Part of me wants to apologize, but then...

A sign we saw in Cherokee, complete with the "oops :)".

I came home roughly the same weight as I left, and that's good enough for me. I didn't stick to my vegan guns, and I wish we could have done better in that regard, but we had extenuating circumstances involving other people, so we did the best we could. I will admit to an over-indulgence in sweets. But, for me, that's what vacation is all about: things I don't normally allow.

**DISCLAIMER: My husband is NOT a flannel shirt/ sweat pants kind of guy, so this pic is used only for the purpose of remembering a special moment. He is always pulling them in for kisses and hugs. I love that he is that kind of Daddy!!!

Avery, David, and Brooke enjoying a snuggle in front of the fire at the cottage.

This is likely to be our last year vacationing in the family cottage, as it has been placed on the market for sale. My husband has been visiting that mountain for most all of his life. It was a bitter-sweet time for us all.

Our traditional photo on the porch, the last day of vacation 10/22/12.
Vicki, Randy, Erin, David, Brooke, Michelle, Avery, Lexi, Lauren, Eleanor, and Lester.

One thing I'm learning is that things change...always. Hold your memories tight, but your loved ones tighter. While we may never have another vacation in that specific place, we will never lose the memories, and the ones we love are with us to make new memories! Living in the moment is giving me a greater sense of gratitude.

I'm also learning that it's best to:

Sign at "The Scoop", the local ice cream shop in Robbinsville, NC. And, yes, they also sell purses, jewelry, pre-paid cell phones, AND you can pay your utility bills on site. :)

In case you didn't get that, in red-neck it reads: Quit your belly-aching.

Of course, one of the best ways to get rid of a belly ache is to
Eat Your Veggies!