Vacations

We have had an absolutely amazing weekend. We spent a few nights in a cabin in Gatliburg with another couple, DJ & Ginny. We got there on Friday, after a beautiful drive through the mountains, and got settled in.

And oh my gosh. Our cabin. It was amazing. It made me never want to leave. It was a two-story cabin that was absolutely beautiful. Our bedroom had floor to ceiling glass windows so every morning we woke up to a gorgeous view of the smoky mountains. I've spent my whole life living in flat ol' Indiana so I absolutely loved waking up to that view. Somehow it seems unfair even now that I'm living in Tennessee, I'm still in the mainly flat area of the state.

Moving on. The second we got there Blake realized he had forgot his shoes at our house. The only shoes he had were his tennis shoes, and they just wouldn't do. My husband is a bit...how to put it...fashion conscience. And heaven forbid, he wear jeans with tennis shoes. So on our first night in Gatliburg, we searched for a shoe store. We found one and he got new shoes so the crisis was averted.

We spent the rest of the night eating, laughing, go carting, and soaking in the hot tub. Turns out I am no go cart champ. I lost almost every freaking race. It was so unfair. I swear it was rigged. Every race, Blake and Ginny wound up with the fast cars while DJ and I were stuck puttering around the track. I think we ended up being lapped by them each race. It was ridiculous. When we got back to the cabin that night, we all hung out in the hot tub. We had so much fun talking and laughing. Then the next thing we knew it was 2 am and the fog was rolling in. They don't call it the smoky mountains for nothing. Before we knew it, the fog was so thick we couldn't see a foot out our windows.

The next morning, we headed into Gatlinburg to check out the town. There was so much to do. But I liked the shopping the most. I bet I could win an olympic medal in shopping. We found some great things for our house (not that I need more decorating items), and some neat sauces for Blake to experiment with while he cooks. But then he found something so gross & disgusting, I thought I was going to vomit. Bacon cheddar grasshoppers and mexican spice larva. AND HE BOUGHT THEM!!!! AND THEN HE ATE THEM!!!! I am pretty sure this is grounds for divorce. But moving on.

We spent the evening playing putt putt, eating, go carting, and lounging in the hot tub again. Turns out the people who stunk at go carting, rocked at putt putt so we got our revenge. And I even won two rounds out of five at go carting that night. So it was a great night. I love it when I beat my husband at something. Once again, it was a late night which wasn't a great idea since we had to check out at 10 am. I think we got 12 hours of sleep total the whole weekend, but it was worth it for all the fun we had.

Speaking of checking out, we got up at 9 am to clean, pack, and get out of the cabin. Normally I am the forgetful one, but not this time. We left the cabin with 8 minutes to spare and headed off to get some breakfast. As we're pulling into the restaurant parking lot, my husband asks me if I have his cell phone. I did not and neither did he. So back we go, and lo and behold there it is. Sitting on our bed just waiting for someone to grab it. Back we go to the restaurant. Once again, we pull into the parking lot and he asks me if I grabbed his tennis shoes. Nope I sure didn't. At this point I thought I was going to kill him. Lucky for him, he had remembered them and they were in the trunk. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to watch him for signs of Alzheimer's.

All the things we did on our trip were alot of fun, but the best part of the trip was that we got to get away. We didn't have to worry about work or school or bills or anything else. We were able to talk and focus on each other. It was just the kind of break we needed. Going home is fun and relaxing but now it just reminds me of how few of those trips we have before he leaves. I love living in Clarksville, but there are deployment reminders all around me. Getting away let us have time to each other. Time to remember why we love being married. It let us realize why we can make it through this deployment, and why it won't be that hard really. Love knows no distance. And we can make it through anything.

Sorry for that gushy moment. But I needed to get it out. I figure if I say it, it'll be true. Just kidding. Anyways, now we're off to go pick up Blake's phone. He left it at the Mexican restaurant we ate at last night. I'm starting to get a glimpse of our life in several years, and it does not look good. Hopefully, when we have kids, he won't lose them like he loses his cell phone.