Our Smoky Mountains Vacation: Day 2

Kyle, Me, Tina, and G

After going to bed at about 8:30 the night before, we couldn’t help but have an early morning.  Breakfast isn’t until 9:00, so we woke up and had a quiet, peaceful, morning in the cabin.  We knew there was one more couple staying the week, and we finally got to meet them.  We refer to them as “The Germans.”  Tina and her husband with a German name that starts with G… Guntri?  I never could figure it out.

Janice, being the mountain woman that she is, encouraged us to eat breakfast outside on the back porch, so that’s what we did, every morning!  We’d all talk as Janice prepared our meal on the massive grill (at least I think that’s what it was).

Janice and The Grill

It would be wrong of me to leave out what we ate for breakfast when talking about a Bed and Breakfast!  Each morning, you could count on a small plate of fruits, and a little champagne class of some kind of non-alcoholic fruit drink , like orange juice with fresh strawberries, something like that.  As for the main dish, what was coming off the grill, you never knew what you were gonna get!  Even once you saw it on your plate, or even ate it, you still may not know exactly what it was, but it was definitely Mountain food and definitely delicious!

Big Creek Trail

Assume every food I list starts with “Some sort of…”  This morning we had bread pudding, strawberry pancakes with orange saucy stuff and maple syrup, sausage, orange peppers, and butternut squash.  Thank you Janice! After breakfast, it’s time to hit the trails! 

Every day, Tifton would make us a lunch to go, so on our way out, each couple would grab a lunch box and get on the road.  Janice recommended Big Creek Trail, so that’s where we went. It was a nice, easier 2 mile trail that led to a beautiful little waterfall.  This is where we stopped to have our lunch – Ham sandwich, Fritos, and home-made brownies.  They intentionally never put napkins in our lunch boxes because Janice thought it was only appropriate to eat by the water.


Lunch Time!

 


Kyle climbing the rocks

  


Kyle, at his destination, the Falls



On our way back down the trail, we stopped at the most beautiful swimming hole I have ever seen!  We didn't get in because it was freezing, but the pictures were nice!
  


The Swimming Hole



 





Janice's class of eager learners



After the hike, it was time to get back to the cabin because a pie-making class was included in our Living Social deal!  We had a blast making the pies with the other couples.  The recipe was very simple too - flour, crisco, apples, sugar and cinnamon.  Here are some pictures of us working hard!

Look at that mound of apples!



Kyle rolling the dough



We made a great team :)





Ready to bake





Although I think I ate about 3 apples in the process of making the apple pie, and was therefore stuffed, we HAD to go to the Carver Apple Orchards for dinner!  We weren't sure if we'd get another chance in the week.  This was one of the cutest little local places. 





The Candy Store



It had a candy shop, a market, and a restaurant.  We quickly visited the candy shop, knowing that we would be in Gatlinburg the next day with lots of candy stores.  Then we looked around the market and saw a ton of delicious home-made jams, dressings, fruits, veggies, and of course apples. 





The fritters, butter and cider

We finally went into the restaurant and received  our apple fritters, with apple butter, and apple cider.  You get these included with every visit!   



Our Meal



We decided to split all that we ordered, so we went ahead and got a chicken pot pie, chicken and dumplings, green beans, pinto beans, mashed potatoes, and baked apples.  Yum!

After dinner, it was time to go back to the cabin and eat... again...  We had to try out our apple pie!  Kyle did us the honor of cutting our pie.  It turned out really well!  


The Finished Product







It was pretty simple, not like apple pies I'm used too.  This one tasted "healthier," not as sweet as the ones I've had before.

The Inside

Finally, after a full belly once again, it was time for bed.  Hopefully I'd sleep off some of the calories before our big breakfast in the morning!

Our Smoky Mountains Vacation: Day 1

Last week, Kyle and I wrapped up what I would classify as one of our best vacations!  We didn't get a summer vacation, so this was it, a full week in the relaxing Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.  The vacation was way too long with too many memories to put in one post, so I'm breaking it up by day.

Monday morning, we left bright and early for Asheville, NC, where we got to finally use our 2.5 hour Segway Tour from Living Social!  We went down and "trained" last February, but it was about to rain, so we took a raincheck for October.  We went all around Asheville on our segways and stopped in a local coffee shop for coffee and pastries.

Once that wrapped up, it was time for lunch.  When you're in Asheville, you can't avoid trying a local restaurant, so we went to a little Mexican place.  I forgot the name of it, but it was definitely "Asheville."

After lunch, it was off to the much anticipated Creekwalk Inn on Whisperwood Farms in Cosby, TN.  How did we find this place?  Living Social escapes, of course!  Our deal came with a Monday afternoon Tea Time, so we needed to get there by 3:00pm. 

 




The Office and Owners' Home

 

 

We pulled up on the property and discovered the Office.  We went inside and met Tifton the co-owner of the Farm at the Office.  (We'd soon meet the other co-owner, his wife, Janice). 



Tifton and Kyle



He greeted us as you would expect a Southern gentleman whose been living in the smokies for more than 15 years would greet you, with real hospitality!  He took our bags (and our money) and walked us over to the Bed and Breakfast Cabin.





The Creekwalk Inn (The Bed and Breakfast Cabin)



We would be staying in the "Balsam Mountain" room, which greeted us with a nice bottle of Sparkling Grape Juice.  Each room is named after a Smoky Mountain hiking trail.  By the time we got unpacked, it was time for Tea in the dining room.





A little background on our room









Our walk from our car to the Cabin every day, so pretty!





  



  






 





The Balsam Mountain Room



Tea time is where we finally met Janice, the nicest Bed and Breakfast lady we have ever encountered!  She came in the room, introduced herself, and then displayed our many options of tea.  I chose some kind of vanilla tea, which turned out delicious, and I can't remember what Kyle chose... but it was good too.  Cookies, pastries, tea sandwiches and scones arrived on a tower of plates, along with our tea came.  Each of us has a whole pot!  We sat for about an hour, enjoyed our tea and delights as we listened to different CD's of Appalachian bands/singers, all of whom with which Janice had a personal connection.  (As the week went on, we discovered she had personal connections with just about everything - all the music, the dining room chair, the hiking trails, the apples, the list could go on and on).



Tea Time

It was here, at tea, where we met "The Doctors," Pat and Virginia.  They are both ER doctors that met in their Residency and got Married in November.  They are currently in their last year of Residency and pregnant!

Pat and Julie

By this point, we were stuffed.  We neglected our original dinner plans at the local Carver Apple Orchards farm and restaurant (we could go there tomorrow), and decided to explore the Whisperwood Farms.  Here is what we found...



A Big Praying Mantis




A Hammock

 

A Wedding Alter



                   

                    A Beautiful Chapel

 



          A Honeymooner's Cabin      

A Cabin being fixed up

A Deserted Cabin

                   


A Creek



             

       

   

 

  A Horse



 

  Puppies!

We asked Janice for any opinions on something relaxing to do for the night, and she suggested going on the Parkway to watch the sunset, so we did!  However, we got up there and the sun wasn't setting off in the horizon.  Instead it was setting RIGHT there, behind the closest mountain, the one we were on.  We were tired anyway, so after taking a few pictures of the mountains, we decided to go on and head back to our relaxing cabin.

On the Parkway

Back at the cabin, we met another of the couples that would be staying for the week, "The Police Officers," Michael and Julie.  I'm not sure how much information I'm allowed to say, so we'll just leave it at that and show you a picture of them.



Michael and Julie



  

Around 8:00pm, we decided to call it a night.  We were up at 5:30, and afterall, this is a vacation!



Bed Time!

Forgiveness

I've been thinking a lot lately about forgiveness.  I am studying Mark this semester with Dzidzor, Miranda and Kathryn, and we recently studied Mark 2, where Jesus audaciously forgives a man's sins.  As I read more on forgiveness, this is what Tim Keller had to say,

"When someone sins against you, they have cost you something. To forgive them means that you do not hold them liable for the cost as a debt, but instead you absorb the cost yourself. (For example, if someone breaks your chair, and you forgive them, it means that you will pay to replace the chair yourself.)"

What a small, and seemingly insignificant, example he gives, but somehow, God used it to teach me something big.  If someone broke my chair, I would forgive them for the act, but expect them to buy me a new chair.  In fact, if someone close to me hurts me, I'm not sure I would "absorb" that emotional cost either.

My heart almost always first responds with anger.  Then, I choose one of a few responses: hurt back, leave the situation because I don't know how to soothe myself, or talk on and on making sure the offender understands why exactly that hurt my feelings and that he or she truly feels sorry.  Basically, all of these responses lead to where my sinful heart wants them to lead: me feeling better and the anger being lifted off my tense chest.  But I'm not convinced that any of these lead to true growth or glory to God.

After this reality check, I chose to try to practice true forgiveness, the kind where I actually absorb the cost.  Well, as Kyle always reminds me, if God wants you to grow in an area, He'll place you in situation where you would naturally do the opposite of what you're trying to grow in.  So Saturday night, God did exactly that.  I was hurt by Kyle, and I fought my natural response of anger.  Kyle knew I was hurt and he truly repented, but my heart was still tense.  I wanted to fight back with anger, but to my surprise, I didn't.

I made the choice to forgive, and it hurt, badly!  I just laid there crying, absorbing the pain and cost of being hurt by someone I love.  Then, it was the most amazing thing, I experienced surreal and deep fellowship with Christ.  Through this experience, I was gaining a bigger reality of what Christ did for me on the cross.  I chose to absorb the pain of one offense, but Christ chose to absorb the pain of ALL offenses, all of my sins.  I was overwhelmed with emotions: sadness because of the pain Christ must have experienced, joy that he would absorb my costs out of love for me, delight that God was growing me, and there was a weird feeling of peace simply knowing that this is what God wants for me and for my relationship with Kyle, true forgiveness.

As painful as it was, my heart so badly desires to forgive like this.  It leads to a deeper relationship with the one I love, but more importantly, a deeper relationship with Christ, experiencing fellowship with him through sharing in his sufferings!  Such a hard but wonderful thing!

A happy picture of me and Kyle.  We don't just hurt each other :)

It's a Girl!

Well, we found out a few weeks ago that we are having a little girl! I would have put a picture up, but showing sonograms can sometimes just be a little weird, so here's a picture of me and Kyle at the Doctor's office, waiting...

Both Kyle and I were anticipating it to be a little girl.  At first I had this feeling because Kyle wanted a boy so badly, so I figured we'll probably have a girl.  Obviously this isn't too much of a convincing argument.  But over the 4 plus months of being pregnant, I think every single person, except one, had guessed it would be a girl.  So Kyle and I jumped on board the little girl train quite some time ago.

It's crazy how the Lord changed both my and Kyle's hearts in leading up to finding out the sex.  All my life I thought I wanted a boy first.  I even thought I wanted a few boys and then a girl, but when we got pregnant, things started changing.  My desire for a girl grew greater and greater.  By the time we were ready to find out, I knew in my heart I wanted a girl this first time around.  Kyle had a similar story.  When he found out we were pregnant, he was hoping for a boy, and he continued to hope for a boy for quite some time.  Then he hit a neutral place.  As we heard from more and more people that it might be a girl, he began to see more girls with their dads, and his heart began to change too!

We are so grateful for the Bradners who let us borrow their Doppler, so we have actually been able to listen to the baby's heart beat at home.  This has been a blessing for a few reasons. First, it's just a joy to sit and listen to the little one inside you and marvel at the very fact that there's a little one inside you!  Second, every once in a while I have gotten concerned that something has happened because my belly isn't huge yet, so I wonder, 'Is there really a little person in there???'

Another fun thing about pregnancy is feeling certain symptoms and then getting weekly updates about the baby and my body that validate those symptoms.  For instance, recently, when I come home from work, my legs have been so achy and I just can't get comfortable.  I honestly feel desperate for a massage.  Then today I wake up to thebump.com weekly update that says this,

"Your body is changing.  Those nasty leg cramps are probably making it tough to get comfortable. One way to ease the pain: Extend your leg and flex your ankle and toes toward your knees. Or enlist your partner for a calf massage."

Finally, a professional giving complete pregnancy validity to my needs!

Fear

This summer I flew to a couple of cities, and for some reason, I became more fearful than ever before.  I have flown plenty of times, but it wasn't until I prepared for these flights that I became anxious, overwhelmed and brought to tears.  I talked to Kyle about how I was feeling, and confessed that I know this isn't how I am meant to live, in fear and anxiety.  I am called to cast my anxieties on the Lord because He cares for me (I Peter 5:7), and Kyle reminded me that the most stated command in Scripture is "Fear not" or some variety of this.

I continued to repent for not trusting in God's goodness for me, and I prayed that I would be able to give Him these anxieties and fears and fully trust in His sovereignty.  Kyle and I flew together to and from Pittsburgh, and I was comforted by Kyle's presence.

What I learned in the flight to Pittsburgh

While on the flight, I was suddenly reminded that God is sovereign and in control over ALL of my life.  Why is it when I get on a plane, I am immediately fearful of what will happen?  It is simply because it is in these times that I realize I am not in control.  Why is it that on a regular daily basis I rarely experience fear?  It's simply because I feel as though I am in control.  I have forgotten that it is not I who writes the script of my life, but God.  When you live life neglecting the fact that God is in control of it, of course you will experience great fear when you finally realize you have no control.  I was determined from here on out to continually meditate on God's control in my life.

What I learned in the flight to Maryland

A couple weeks later, I was on my own, flying to visit Kate in Maryland.  In preparation for this flight, I was continually asking God to comfort me in knowing He is the one who is always in control, not me.  I wouldn't have Kyle there this time for any sort of earthly comfort and support.

As I was on the flight, I was reminded of what Kyle had told me two weeks earlier.  A pilot once told him that it is so highly unlikely for a plane to crash.  It would be like a man putting on tight fitting jeans, buttoning and zipping them up, putting on a belt, and attaching suspenders, and then having his pants spontaneously fall down.  While it would have been so easy to rely on this pilot's expertise, I had to keep myself from doing so.  To do this would be to neglect what God had just reminded me of two weeks prior: God is in control, and I am called to put my trust in him, not statistics or reassurances of the durability of a machine.

The point

I guess I say all this to remind myself once again, that it may feel easier to trust in myself, statistics or even other promising machines and technology, but it is worth the mental fight to keep setting these aside so that you are able to fully and completely give your whole heart to God recognizing that He is sovereign over your life and that He makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).