In celebration of our sixth wedding anniversary (and our birthdays, too!), Steven and I took a trip to the mountains this past weekend. By ourselves. It was our first getaway as a couple since our [Elise] Babymoon in July 2009. We left Isaac and Elise with my parents Thursday night and headed to the mountains.
This trip was so different than any trip we've taken recently, mainly because we had very few responsibilities and could just enjoy one another and the absolutely gorgeous mountains that surrounded us. On Friday we spent most of our day in Blowing Rock, walking around the town, shopping, and eating at the Mellow Mushroom.
We also spent some time on the Blue Ridge Parkway, mostly at the Julian Price lake. It was an absolutely beautiful day, so we sat by the lake for quite a while. This picture (below) was taken in a little alcove of trees right beside the lake.
For dinner on Friday, we had some of our favorite Japanese food from Shokudo in West Jefferson. For the record, Steven says they have the best onion soup, and he can't get enough of it. He would buy a gallon to bring home if they'd sell it to us that way!
After a relaxing Saturday morning (which was our actual anniversary), we headed for a lunch at Smokey Mountain BBQ and a leisurely afternoon in downtown West Jefferson. We'd never had an opportunity to stroll through all the shops there, so we really enjoyed that. We took our time and strolled very slowly. My favorite store was Sassafras where we found lots of homemade crafts and antiques. Steven was so patient as I took forever looking at one of the vendor's extremely detailed hand stitching. I ended up with a couple things for myself and several Christmas presents in my shopping bag! Steven's favorite store was the Hobby Barn, where we found all sorts of supplies for hobbies like building model airplanes or miniature train sets. They also sell homemade fudge, so we had to try some of that (pumpkin fudge, yum!!). For dinner, we celebrated our anniversary by candlelight at Fraser's restaurant, also in West Jefferson. We'd visited this restaurant once when we'd taken Elise as a baby to the mountains in March. She slept through our entire meal then! It was funny to think that she'd be anything but sleepy if we'd brought her this time. She loves to eat, and she sometimes eats more than Steven or I do!
On Sunday, we rested some more, took a hike up the mountain, packed up, and headed for home. For some reason, we always like to eat Cookout on our way either to or from the mountains. So, we went home by way of Boone and got some Cookout burgers. We also visited Greene's Trading Post on the way down the mountain to pick up some treats for Isaac and Elise's brave grandparents. :)
The three days together gave Steven and me great opportunities to spend lots of quality time with each other. We talked about so many different things and had lots of conversations that are difficult to have when you're sharing them with two toddlers! It was a blessing to take this trip, and we are SO grateful to our parents for keeping our kids (gracias Momma and Daddy!) and to Steven's cousin Tammy and her husband Kyle for their generosity in providing us a wonderful place to stay. (thanks Tammy and Kyle!) And the kids did great! (thank you Lord!!) Slept through the night (check!). Didn't get sick (check!). Didn't have any accidents (check!). Had a blast with Gramps and Nanna (check!).
What a wonderful way to celebrate all that God has done in our lives over the past six years! We are so thankful for His goodness and faithfulness to us!
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