Sometimes all you need is a few days away to relax, rejuvenate and re-focus! Sometimes it takes planning a vacation to actually make that happen so we planned a trip to Gatlinburg months ago so we could have some time to just be together without all the distractions we have at home.
Little did we know a fire would break out in the mountains just 2 weeks before our scheduled vacation!! When we called to see if we would still be able to keep our reservations, we learned that the roof of the cabin we had rented was affected by the fires. :-( Elk Springs Resort quickly remedied the situation by offering to move transfer our reservation to a gorgeous cabin, valued at $100 more per night, for no additional charge and we accepted!! (Actually, you can click here to see our cabin: Urban Cowboy)
With three stories of cozy cabin fun including a private heated pool, sauna pool table, arcade game, fireplaces, jacuzzi and more we had more entertainment than we had time to enjoy it all! :-) The boys loved had a blast in the evenings and Brandon and I were able to have time alone together during the day while the kids stayed with the babysitter.
Of course our bed ended up being the family party zone since the fireplace and jacuzzi were right there. I think Kasen must've spent 45 minutes playing with the water in that jacuzzi before we left the last morning! :-) Bryce is my snuggle bug so he would grab his pacifier, snuggle in the blankets and watch cartoons by the fire.
The time went by way too fast! We were torn between enjoying our vacation and helping families who lost everything in the fires! So Brandon kept turning to me and going, "this doesn't feel like a vacation but that's okay.. God has us here for a purpose and it's so much bigger than just relaxing." It was true! When we would sit down for a little while, we'd be thinking of how to help the families and we'd head out the door again to go meet with someone, drop off donations or go shopping for a families wish list.
The entire trip blessed us more than words can express! Meeting such beautiful, heartfelt people and enjoying their gorgeous town was everything we had hoped for and more! Elk Springs Resort was THE BEST! We can't wait to go back!!
Photo Credit: Silviu Zidaru Photography