We just got back from our HUGE (super fun) but mini (short in time) vacation to the Cherokee Mountains in North Carolina, where we met up with my cousins. We packed so much into two and half little days (especially for a traveling bunch of 6), but did great!
When we got there we were greeted by Nat, Karen, and their 3 dogs...
Camden Louise...
Catcher Marie...
and Wriglee Jo...
The kids loved having the dogs there, which made it extra fun for them.Now in my last post, some of you thought I was going camping, camping.
Um...no! Although, some people did stay in Indian tents like this one below. There was room in there for a fire and sleeping bags.
But I need running water, and electricity, and beds!
We stayed in an adorable little two room cabin with a porch overlooking the creek that ran into the river.
Now, believe it or not...Mike got all Wilderness Joe on me and drug his mattress and sleeping bag out onto the porch 2 of the nights and slept outside!! He said he loved the sound of the creek and to lay and watch the stars. I did star gaze with him one night (which was beautiful!)...but then went right in and snuggled up in bed with Summer to sleep..lol! He said the last morning he woke up to fishermen right outside our deck peering over at him!
This was our porch that connected to Nat and Karens.
Believe me..I felt like I was roughing it enough;) The cabin made me think of Little House on the Prairie. With just the main room and Ma and Pa's room.
and pegs to hang your clothes on.
The first day we threw our water shoes on and explored some creeks and grilled out. Nat and Karen had wonderful, galore of presents waiting for the kids. They got the boys a slingshot (goodness help me!) and a container full of beans to shoot. Needless to say there were beans EVERYWHERE! I had beans in the shower with me, and beans in my pockets. I bet people that stay in that cabin will find beans for weeks to come! lol! They got them glowsticks and sparklers, and waterballons. They went all out to be sweet, and I thank them so much for making my kids feel special!
Summer loved playing ball with the dogs. She was finally in charge (so she thought) of someone;)
Tatum got to sleep in Nat and Karen's cabin. I think she loved this secular attention, and ate it up.
We filled our days with hiking,
and exploring...
and just plumb being together...
There was retaining wall that they showed us where they had taken old car bodies and used them to hold up the river wall. I had never seen anything like it before! Not exactly beautiful, but definitly unique and recyclable!
Pictures as to why they call them the "Smokie Mountains".
at one point my button popped right off my pants, and Karen bless her heart sewed it right back on the spot! (Look at Nat, being embarrassed of the photoshoot...she just doesn't get us bloggers;)
anyways, I thought it was really sweet how much they tried to make our trip fun and special.
They had a little cart that they would take the dogs on bike rides in, and Summer had THE BEST TIME, having Karen taking her around in it!
Look at that smile!
And the best part of the trip voted unanimously was the tubing! We would walk them up to the end to the campground, and ride them down the river to our cabin. We rented the tubes for the day and we did it over and over again.
I even took Summer on my lap one time, but during the rapids, she would say repeatedly "all done! all done!" So maybe next year she'll be more adventurous. 
Tatum was the one who got chosen as the "sweet one" by the bugs and got ate up! We had to take a picture of this bug bite because it was shaped just like a heart! lol!
Every night was a campfire, and smores, and ghost stories. Summer even made her very own hot dog on a stick one night. She was so proud;)
We got the dog's Smokie Mountain ball caps (much to their dismay) I don't think the dog's liked them too much, but Natalee asure's me that they'll get used to them...
Camden pouting...
Finally...group shot~~~!
AND NOW!!! The moment you all have been waiting for I am sure. Two posts ago I showed you a ligit picture of my cousin pinning me to the ground. (because she is mean) Well now I am older, and she is just old. And I am stronger, and I was hoping to have the chance to finally defeat her in a wreastle match.Well my friends. Let the picture do the talking.
She is still mean as a snake, and could whip my ass with her eyes closed. But being my cousin and all, she allowed me to start the wreastle match with her pinned and me on top.
Because Family...That is what it is all about. (Love you~!)
She is still mean as a snake, and could whip my ass with her eyes closed. But being my cousin and all, she allowed me to start the wreastle match with her pinned and me on top.Yup. In about two seconds she can still snap me if she wants to. So we just took the picture and called it a day.
She promises that when she is 100 and I am 89, I can probably take her then.
Now this below, is just documentation. Documentation of what said mean snake does, when one mean snake decides to flip their cousin's raft in shallow water, and then ditch her. (I'm not bitter)
Because Family...That is what it is all about. (Love you~!)(and now that I am safely in Ohio, Nat, I am starting to feel like maybe I really could take you if I really tried)
Oh..! And Mom said she was very dissappointed in your actions...so naahhh!!)
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