Visiting Vail

Creed and I spent four glorious days in Vail, Colorado, to kick off our Christmas break. 

Creed actually planned the entire trip, and I must say that he did a fantastic job! We stayed in Vail Village at the Austria House, and it is probably one of my favorite hotels that I have ever stayed in, hands down. He also had us fly into Vail-Eagle airport instead of Denver, which ended up being perfect because the day we landed, a major winter storm hit the area and it would have been a rough drive from Denver. Eagle-Vail actually shut down about six hours after we flew in, so we were lucky with the timing too!

Since Creed has a pass for all the Vail resorts, he skied all four days, while I only skied Saturday and Sunday. We  got lucky because the winter storm dropped 10 inches of snow on Vail, so Saturday was perfect conditions...except for the fact that it was six degrees. ;) It was also cloudy and windy...so we were cold!

Sunday it was beautiful, though, so we took some pictures. But, don't let the blue sky fool you...it was about 15 degrees that day.

One night we had dinner in Lionshead, which was just down from the village.

We were thankful for Vail's convenient transportation system because the wind chill that night was around 15 degrees below zero. 

We were there for the tree lighting in Vail Village

and were sure to take a picture in front of the iconic covered bridge. 

While Creed skied the final day, I walked around and did a little shopping. I even had time to just sit and read an entire book. :)

Because of the clear skies that evening, the views from our plane were incredible. You can see Vail's airport tucked between the mountains.

We also flew over Beaver Creek, Vail, and Breckenridge resorts. That's Vail...

While it was picturesque, it was also very turbulent...like turbulent enough that the pilot wouldn't let the flight attendants up until we passed the front range of the mountains, which took almost an hour! 

I am so thankful that we were able to get away for a few days to such a beautiful place. And, especially thankful for Grandmom, Grandpa, and Aunt Paige for keeping the boys!

Tis the Season

December 1st was a special day at our house, as Betty the elf made her first appearance this year. She brought donuts and encouraged the boys to be obedient, respectful, and kind. I LOVE Luke's face in this picture!

The boys also got their Lego advent calendar and their new winter pajamas. While last year both boys did a Lego City set, Luke opted for the Star Wars calendar this year. These are such a big hit!

We had our annual Christmas celebration with the Dursts and Whitworths on the 4th. We had dinner, let the kids open their gifts, and spent most of the night talking and laughing. It was the perfect celebration! While I didn't take any pictures that night, Nikki sent me this of our sweet babies...they sure are getting big!

On the 6th, the boys had their all school Christmas program. Each elementary grade sang a few songs, while the middle and high school chorus, band, and praise band sang and led worship. It was a great night! Both boys had speaking parts for their grade, and both nailed their lines.

Last week Luke came down with a short lived bug, so we spent the day laying around (and I got most of my presents wrapped!) 

Caleb had his winter piano recital on the 10th. We are so, so proud of him!

We are also proud of little brother for sitting through his first piano recital. He begged me to get him a babysitter, but ended up being quiet and sitting relatively still! He was so excited to hear his big brother play!

The following night Creed and I got to get all dressed up for his work Christmas party. Aunt Paige kept the boys and we had a fun evening out!

Celebrating 11 Years

On November 13th, Creed and I celebrated 11 years of marriage!  

This year we extended our annual Gatlinburg anniversary trip and went to Asheville, North Carolina, on the way. We walked around the downtown area the first night, eating small bites at a few different restaurants, and getting to know the area. 

This is our "We've been to two restaurants...dining out without the kids is awesome!" face. :)

The next day we ventured out to take a tour of The Biltmore Estate. 

The indoor pool was probably the most incredible thing to me. When you realize that they had a heated indoor pool when others didn't even have electricity is pretty amazing. 

From the back of The Biltmore, you could see one of the many wild fires in the distance.

As we got on the road and headed to Gatlinburg, it was obvious we were going to see a lot more smoke!

A little blurry, but you can still see how beautiful the Christmas lights were in Gatlinburg.

This year we decided to do a little bit more of a serious hike and made the 5 mile round trip hike up to Alum Cave (which is actually just a bluff.) We set a pretty fast pace up the mountain, but were sure to take lots of pictures once we got up there. Next year our plan to to make it all the way up to the summit of Mount Le Conte. (Alum Cave was just half way up.)

The only thing better than making it to the top was the lunch we enjoyed back in town. :)

That night we watched the UK basketball game at our favorite Mexican restaurant and then tried out the Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster. The attendant told Creed that he didn't need to brake...and holy cow....we went so, SO fast. At one point Creed yelled, "I'm not sure we are going to make this next curve!" Ha! It was crazy!

The next day we met my Dad and Beth (They were passing through after a trip to Nashville and decided to spend the weekend there.) and took them up to Ober Gatlinburg. Beth is terrified of heights, so riding the ski lift with her was an adventure. ;)

Ready to alpine slide! 

We even talked them into a ride on Ober's Ski Mountain Coaster.

The next morning we took them to Clingman's Dome, but it was hard to see much with all of the smoke. That is smoke...not fog or haze! :(

November 13th, 2016

11 FUN Years!

I want the t-shirt that reads

I HIKED

(the width of)

THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL

That night Creed and I had our anniversary dinner at an amazing, and authentic, Italian restaurant in town. It was our first time going there, but we have already decided to include it in our annual rotation. 

We ended our trip the next day with a little shopping on the strip before heading back home. We were gone five nights and six full days, which was our longest trip without the boys so far. However, they were happy and had a great time with their grandparents and great-grandparents, for which we are very appreciative!

*****

We are so incredibly sad for the people of Gatlinburg that have lost everything, even loved ones, to the recent horrible fires. Knowing that we were there just a few weeks ago, and back in October with the boys, hits close to home for us. We love Gatlinburg, and are sure to be back next October and November!

We recently found out that the cabin we stayed in this year was destroyed in the fire. :(