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. :(