Family Getaway - Smokies Edition

Sans the photographer, Justin, as always.

This blog post has been on my to-do list for a while.  It's essentially a recap of my 34th birthday celebration and getaway to the Smokies.  Back in September.  Haha.  Better late than never, right?

My actual birthday fell on a Monday.  It was a low-key kinda day.  I woke up early to run 3.1 miles around our neighborhood.  

Had blueberry waffles for breakfast.  Enjoyed a lovely playdate at the zoo with good friends.  Ate some ramen for lunch (Asian tradition of noodles on your birthday for a long life).

Did some sewing while the kids napped.  

Finished a fun fall dress for Lissie!

Worked at the Y for a few hours when they woke up.  By the time we got home, Justin had come home from work with a lovely takeout meal from Hattie B's that we ate with some collards I had made the night before. 

 Oh, and of course - per tradition - ice cream cake for dessert.  It was the best - a simple birthday with family.

That Thursday, though, we picked Lissie up early from school and headed out on the three+ hour drive to the Smokies - with my parents and Justin's dad in tow.  After settling in at our resort - we used our timeshare to get a spacious three-bedroom suite at Great Smokies Lodge (also known as Wilderness at the Smokies), an amazing kid-friendly place with an awesome indoor waterpark - we had a lovely dinner at Bennett's BBQ.  

The next day, Friday, sort of threw us for a loop when we decided it was in our best interest to take Lissie to an urgent care to take a look at a skin abscess that had been bothering her for a while and was getting worse.  After a morning getting poked and prodded (during which she was thrilled to be able to spend quality alone time with both mommy and daddy watching Doc McStuffins and, afterwards, getting an ice pop), she was given antibiotics and the all-clear to enjoy the rest of our vacation.  

When we got back we donned our swimsuits and headed to the waterpark for some splashing fun.   

After lunch and naps, the grandparents took the kids out for ginormous chocolate-dipped cones and miniature golf at the resort, while Justin and I headed out to run a seven-miler on a not-so-scenic greenway as part of our training for Ragnar.

We got back in time for dinner - Lola had made my Filipino favorites (adobo, pancit, kare-kare, lumpia) - and another ice cream cake for dessert.  Happy birthday to me, yet again!

The next day we started off with a hearty breakfast before burning off the calories hiking to Laurel Falls.  It was a perfect trail for the oldies and the littles, plus it was a lovely day to see the beautiful leaves starting to turn and the breathtaking waterfalls.  

When we got back to the resort, it was time for a late lunch and naps for all.  Afterwards, we (primarily Lissie, who did it four times) enjoyed the outdoor lazy river and another trip to the indoor waterpark.  We also checked out the arcade area, as well.

We ended the night with one final scrumptious meal (Justin cooked steak!) and the last of the ice cream cake before saying goodnight to the Smokies one more time.

Sunday morning we had a quick breakfast before driving to Knoxville (about halfway home) for Mass.  We ate a quickie lunch en route and ended the trip back to Nashville with a fun ice cream social at Lissie's school.

Super fun weekend for sure.  Lots of fun memories made with the whole family.  

Like Lolo, like Lissie.  Same pouty-lipped look of concentration while playing on their technological devices.

And, two months later, Lissie still asks when we're going back to the Smokies.  Not to worry, Lissie.  We'll definitely be back as soon as we can.  

Happy belated birthday to me!