what a trip!

WOW! We had such a great time on leave!
Before we even get started on when we leave, I'll fill you in on what happened BEFORE we left. On Monday evening, Dixie and Duke got into a spat over a bone. For those of you who know my Dixie, you know she thinks she's a lot bigger than she really is. It was kinda scary, Dixie ended up with 2 holes in her. It was very surprising, Dixie and Duke have always gotten along really well. Brad was flying that night and I didn't know what to do. I called a good friend and she was here quick as could be to help out. We ended up taking Dixie to the emergency vet that night, where they tried to charge me $1000 to fix her. I said no thanks, give me the antibiotics and pain meds and I'll take her to my vet in the morning. We took her in the next morning and she ended up with 6 stitches and 2 drains in her. Geez, she was absolutely pitiful. For a while, she was very scared of being around Duke, but now they are back to normal. We have a dog trainer coming to the house to asses the dogs this weekend. We want to make sure something like this doesn't happen EVER again, especially since Caroline is so close to crawling.
We were able to get down to Brad's parents house on Friday evening and spend the weekend with the family, as well as Brad's grandma and uncle, who were in town visiting from Missouri. We hadn't seen Brad's uncle in over 3 years, so it was great to see him. The boys spent the weekend fishing and getting their rifles sighted in for hunting the next weekend, while us gals hung out around the house and down by the lake. On Monday, it was time for Brad and I to head out for our trip....a little bitter-sweet.

Our first day there, we went on a horseback ride through the mountains, which was pretty cool. Brad had a really lazy horse, so we ending up making the group wait on us several times, haha.

We weren't able to check into our cabin until late afternoon, so we went to the grocery store to get some stuff to have around the cabin, most of which we ending up bringing back, we didn't spend near as much time at the cabin as we thought we would.
When we got to the cabin, we were a little surprised at how "up in the MOUNTAINS" this cabin was. I guess that's what you get when you request a "mountain view." Our cabin was at the end of a dead end and on a MAJOR hill. Brad almost got us in trouble when we first got there by almost driving the truck off the side of the mountain....it was pretty scary. It was the first time we wished we had a 4 wheel drive. After that ordeal, we got cleaned up and headed in town for dinner. We went to the Dixie Stampede, which is a lot like a Medieval Times. It was pretty neat and we headed back to the cabin, which was TOTALLY different at night time. Even more scary heading up that last part of the hill, especially with wet roads.

the hill...the picture doesn't do it justice.

our cabin :)

the view from the cabin

another view from cabin

Of course, we called to check on Caroline multiple times a day. She did well, but Tuesday she had a rough day. We finally figured out when we got back that she cut another tooth that day. But all in all, she did well. (Thanks again Grandma and Grandma Dee!!)
The next day, we did the "touristy" thing. We went to the aquarium (which Caroline would have LOVED!), a moonshine distillery, a "craftsman show" at the convention center, and several shops throughout Gatlinberg. We cooked dinner at the cabin, where we also enjoyed the pool table, dart board and hot tub.
The next morning we woke up to trash being ALL over the back porch, thanks to the area raccoons. (How the heck did they even get up there?!?) We went to Cade's Cove that day. All I can say is AMAZING. Got to see a black bear up in a tree, several deer and a TON of wild turkeys. We did a 5 mile hike to see a waterfall, which was beautiful.

We really enjoyed Cade's Cove, and it made us wish we would have camped instead of renting a cabin. Maybe next time. We went to the Old Mill for dinner that night. We couldn't believe how much food we got with our order. The food was great, as well as the atmosphere.
The next day, we headed out to Bass Pro Shops before heading home. (If you know my husband at all, you know this is a MUST :) ) He got some stuff for hunting that weekend and then we headed back to see our baby girl. I was so glad to see her, she changed so much in the 4 days we were away. She is so close to crawling. Just cause she's such a cutie, I can't help but add a recent picture of her. <3

ok, maybe two pictures :)

When we got back to the lake, the boys spent the weekend hunting, while we went looking for a Ball dress. Yay! We found one and it isn't black! (Brad's request, haha)

None of the boys got a deer, but hopefully found some good spots for when they get to go again. Now we're back and trying to get back in the swing of things. I took Dixie to get her stitches out yesterday and she's doing just fine. Lots of unpacking, reorganizing, laundry and cleaning in my near future. As always, I hope all of you are doing well. God bless you.