Last weekend, we were swept away...
Celebrations of the combined: 3 year anniversary, Roger's birthday, and my soon to be graduation from nursing school.
and the best part - it was ALL my husband's idea.
He planned this MONTHS ago.
A weekend in the great smoky mountains.
A log cabin.
Alone with my love.
Friday morning, I was in Orangeburg for our NCLEX-RN review at school.
Friday evening, we were sitting in a double rocking chair, on the side of a mountain, watching the sun set.
Of the 6 years that we have been together, we have not yet taken any sort of "road trip" together.
I'd hardly call it a long road trip - it only took 2 and a half hours to reach our destination.
we drove and drove and drove to the end of South Carolina, and low and behold, the mountains started coming into view...
Oh, that sight was just what we needed to propel us back to our childhood.
We giggled, and oohed, and ahhed, and took 20thousand pictures.
Then, my husband started to panic because my car isn't the best for climbing mountains {we found out}
But, then he remembered: my car is a stick-shift, and shifting into a lower gear makes a world of difference.
;)
We got lost in Asheville {I don't know why he couldn't just follow my pointing finger toward the right exit}
I pointed to it.
He said, "Oh, that one?" and drove on by.
Thank you Jesus for GPS on the iPhone.
We named her Delilah because Siri just isn't personal enough.
She got us out of the city and back on track to Leicester {pronounced Lester}
And there was the sign, pointing us to Wildberry Lodge.
On Potato Branch Road.
We got to the driveway and noticed it was gravel, going straight UP.
My first thought: how is my car going to make it up THAT??!!
you cannot even imagine the "straight UP" this driveway was until you stand at the bottom of it.
Then, we rounded a bend in the driveway, and saw, THIS!!!
and we were in love.
It really was breathtaking, beautiful, so, so amazing.
And there were goats, 3 dogs, and 2 Scottish Highland cattle - thought they were buffalo at first.
walking up to the side to check in.
and from the big house, you could see our cabin...
perfection.
The honeymoon suite is on the top, and the wineberry suite is on the bottom.
From our front door:
living room | kitchen
bedroom
patio from the front doors.
above: morning coffee on patio, watching the sun creep up behind us.
the views were far more than we could even expect.
the peace and quiet was stilling.
the nights were dark. very dark.
the morning sun poured over the mountains, lighting the valley piece by piece.
the mornings and evenings were chilly - in the 40's.
the days were perfect - not quite into the 70's.
the hosts, Ken and Glenda, Pat and Bob, were fabulous.
the breakfasts were mouthwatering and ALL home made.
the other guests were friendly and up for conversation.
there were mountain trails behind the house and a fire pit half way up one mountain trail.
we cannot WAIT to go back.
and make this place a regular spot on our destination get aways.
we laughed, talked, and enjoyed each other.
But missed Hailee so much.
some of the livestock:
The Views:
walking the trails
overlooking the valley
tons of farms on the hilly mountain roads.
beautiful little flowers on this bush!
walking from our cabin to the big house.
mountain roads: Newfound Rd.
Wildberry Lodge is at 2700 ft.
Our ears popped for a while adjusting to the altitude.
We spent a day in Maggie Valley, about 20 minutes away.
I could live in the mountains.
Maybe one day...
But for now, it's back to life, back to reality.
I had my last day of med-surg clinical yesterday.
Next week, I'll be in the ICU for 2 days.
Then, I will graduate!!!
It's hard to believe we're nearing the end of our journey through nursing school.
It's bittersweet.
We've spent SO MUCH time together over the last 2 years.
Developed relationships and lifetime friendships.
I'm going to genuinely miss everyone.
Our Pinning Ceremony is 16 days away.
{I just had to count that twice to make sure i was right...}
deep breaths, people.
deep breaths.