Let the summer begin, we've arrived at our home-away-from-home for the next week & the view is beautiful. 

We've decided we could live in the mountains & get used to waking up to this view every day...

We arrived Friday & spend the entire afternoon/evening here at the cabin. It is so nice, the kids are pretty excited. Three levels of balconies, all with this great view. The kids balcony has a hot tub so they are thrilled. Wendy & I prepped all the meals at home so we are set for the week. It has been so nice to do hikes & sightseeing during the day & relax at night at the cabin. Yesterday was our first full day & it was a little rainy so we decided to visit the aquarium. The kids really enjoyed it. Pretty cool aquarium. 

After the aquarium we walked around Gatlinburg & explored. So much to see & do. The kids wanted to do lazer tag & mini golf so we fit that in as well. Busy day & the weather came around too.

Today we got back to our normal agenda & did some hiking. Our plan for this trip was to stay off the beaten path & mainly hike/explore the national park. The views are just breathtaking & the waterfalls did not disappoint. 

The kids have gotten to be pretty good hikers. I think the adults have it down as well. Backpacks with water, snacks, candy, bug spray, sunscreen & a towel for wet feet. It was fun to be able to take their shoes off & get in the waterfalls along the way. Also a great way to break up the hard, long hikes we were doing.

One thing we didn't expect was the bears! We were not in the cottage two hours Friday & there was one walking right by the cabin. This morning Gary attempted a run & came running in frantic that there was a bear. Sure enough, walking right past the cabin again. Between the daily cabin visits & the bears we saw on the trails, we've seen so many! We even moved the chairs on the balcony to face the way they walk through & now have a bear watch spot.

Morning coffee on the balcony is so peaceful. We've got a great system down already. Coffee, pack lunches/backpacks, hike, picnic lunch, hike some more, head back to the cabin early evening for relaxing, dinner & cocktails on the balcony. No complaints here, we are loving this! xoxo