So I just returned from a MUCH needed vacation in Topton, North Carolina. North Carolina was absolutely breath-taking! We stayed in a cabin at the very top of a mountain which is called "El Shaddai." After driving Friday & Saturday, we arrived around 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon to the cabin. The Schmidt's (my cousins) joined us shortly after.
We spent the evening swinging on the AMAZING swings just outside the cabin & playing games in the rec room. On Sunday, we spent the day relaxing & just enjoying each other's company. Monday was our "busy" day.
We got up early so that we could go horseback riding at Lonesome Dove Stables. The trail we rode on was paved in the 1800s which was SUPER cool! (Below is a group shot of us in the clearing in the middle of our ride.)
After riding, we ate lunch at Papa's Pizza which is an all-you-can-eat buffet. The pizza was good but the bread sticks were delicious!
We then headed to Nantahala Carolina Outfitters, a white water rafting company. Our guide was Nathan. He has never been to Chicago but grew up watching the Cubs on T.V. & has been a HUGE fan ever since. Small world! He was a great guide... always smashing us into rocks & bridges to keep us on our toes. He even convinced us to climb a giant rock & to jump off of it into the 47° water. It definitely took my breath away but the jump was SO worth it! :)
After rafting, we headed back to the cabin to just relax. We were all so tired so we popped the movie Elf in and just relaxed. It was very nice! That night, we all watched the Alfred Hitchcock classic "Rear Window." Some of my cousins had not seen it so it was great to watch their reactions throughout the film!
On Tuesday we ate lunch & headed to the lake to rent a pontoon boat. Unfortunately, they had rented them out by the time we got there. Disappointed, we left. Fortunately, we had spied a cove not too far from the cabin and decided to pull over & swim there. The water temperature was absolutely perfect & it was, in my opinion, even better than going on a pontoon boat. Plus, it was FREE! :) After a couple of hours, we saw the clouds starting to darken so we packed up & headed to our cabin. It started pouring as soon as we got inside! That evening, we headed to Andrews, NC for some shopping & dinner at The Burger Basket.
It was delicious!
Later that evening, we watched The Three Stooges, a favorite of our family, & sang & danced to some of our favorite songs. We cousins ended up staying up until 12:30 a.m. just talking & laughing. It was a great way to end our vacation.
Wednesday morning we got up bright and early, said our goodbyes, and headed out by 8 a.m. It was so heartbreaking to say goodbye (as always) but the vacation was absolutely amazing & I wouldn't have changed a thing. I am blessed with an incredible family & I thank God everyday for that.
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