Our Appalachian Adventure

The Freshour family has returned from our first ever family vacation and I can tell you this, it won't be the last. We went to the glorious Smoky Mountains for 5 days and stayed in this lovely little chalet perched on the mountain. It was like staying in a tree house but one with two hot tubs, upstairs and downstairs wrap around decks, four bedrooms, and four bathrooms. Like our own home only bigger, and cleaner, and in a much more inspiring environment, and the food even tasted better because it was cooked over a charcoal grill...so much so that we think we are going to replace our rusty old gas grill with an old school charcoal Weber. Because we're all retro like that.

We spent our mornings hiking...



on trails we probably shouldn't have taken our highly energetic preschoolers on. We're not so strong in the wisdom department, but in the impulse department - now there is where we really shine. They lived to tell the tale, obviously. No doubt because we "closely controlled" them per usual. Peyton is a champion hiker.


But this Trail Tech backpack I carried her in was awful. I borrowed it from a friend at church to test drive it and it was the single worst decision I made on the entire trip. We're definitely springing for the Kelty after this...what with all that cash we're going to save on the grill and all.


It starts young, doesn't it?



Our afternoons were spent napping and then swimming in either the Little Pigeon River or at the club house pool. I will spare you the pool pictures since I've already posted some of those this summer...also, I forgot my camera that day.

There was a big debate here as whether to play in the mud or the water. That's a really tough decision when you are a little boy. Our own personal Auto Bell quickly made the decision for them and moved them across to the other side of the river where there was no mud. The Sienna thanks him for his sensitivity.

Jeff says this is Carter's cover shoot for Kids Weekly. Hopefully, his stylist will remember his swimsuit for any additional issues.

Peyton thought the mountain water tasted delicious. I initially had worries of bilharzia, but then I realized that we were in America. I've been here almost 20 consecutive years now. At some point that should become my first thought...right?

One afternoon Cousin Patrick and Cassie drove up for the day. Cassie is a small Jack Russell Terrier. Carter, our person, fits in her kennel. We contemplated getting one or two ourselves...kennels, not terriers. Just think how useful they could be!

All in all, our first family vacation was nothing short of fabulous. Since moving to Charlotte we have been on a hard, fast path of either home renovation or seemingly relentless reproduction and we haven't exactly prioritized either rest or intentional family time into our lives. Leaving the laptops behind and immersing ourselves in a little purple mountain majesty was a small step in the right direction. Next stop - the NC coast in September.