RA and I needed some time away.
We needed some time just us away from the day in and day out tasks of work, home, and kids.
Life is busy, and chaotic, and overwhelming, and we recognize that in those moments we need to gravitate to each other for support as husbands and wives in strong marriages should. I will forever be grateful to have a spouse that invests his time, his energy, and his focus into our marriage...and making us stronger.
So, we packed our bags and headed out to our favorite North Carolina mountain town, Bryson City.
Bags are packed - let's go!
Giving me some smooches...
I love him...
Our home away from home for the weekend - Folkestone Inn...
Chickens roaming the property!
Lots of chickens in their coop...
Fall decorations are out in full force in the mountains...
We stayed in the Backroads and Overlooks room this time...
Vintage NC postcards!
And car advertisements...
And more vintage postcards...
And a few more...
Simple decor...
Hallway to the bathroom and private porch...
Bathroom...
I LOVE CLAW FOOT TUBS...
Private porch...
Living room of the Inn...
More fall decor!
Breakfast room...
After getting checked in we ventured out to dinner in town and chose Nantahala Brewing Burger and Bar...
Enjoying a local Nantahala brew...
A burger for RA and nachos for me!
We enjoyed a glass of wine on the porch when we got home...it is so incredibly peaceful in this part of NC...
Saturday morning sunrise!
Coffee and a view!
I could sit here all day...
We wandered the property for a while before breakfast and ran into one of the resident chickens walking across the bridge...
Baby chicks!
Enjoying the view from the front yard of the property in the cool morning breeze...
The Folkestone farmhouse cat found a new friend in RA...
Breakfast time - fruit, homemade granola, and local honey...DELICIOUS!
Lemon souffle pancakes with warm blueberry compote and house made sausage...YUM.
After breakfast we decided to wander to a hiking trail that we've never hiked before - The Road to Nowhere...on our drive up we captured this view of Fontana Lake...
Ready to hike the Road To Nowhere trails!
We were the only ones on the Goldmine Loop Trail...it was quiet and we talked the whole 3-ish miles of our hike. Being able to engage in deep conversation in the quietness of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was an amazing experience...
Just wandering...
Acorns and a mini pinecone for Ellis!
A good hike made us super hungry, so into town we headed for lunch at one of our favorite spots - The Iron Skillet!
Grilled chicken wrap for me...
And a philly cheesesteak for RA...
We took some time after lunch to write our first postcard...we love documenting all of our trips with vintage postcards!
After lunch we headed back to the bed and breakfast for a nap...a two hour nap...and it was glorious! Once we woke up we decided to hike another 3-ish miles at our favorite Bryson City trails at Deep Creek!
Tom Branch Falls...
My stoic philosopher husband sitting and thinking...
He convinced me to jump some river rocks to join him out in the middle of Deep Creek. We sat and talked for almost an hour...just us...in the middle of a creek...it was so refreshing!
RA found RF some fools gold...
Indian Creek Falls!
Log bridge on our hike...
Over 6 miles worth of hiking earned me a glass of wine on the porch before we got ready to enjoy another dinner out in town...
We clean up pretty well...we wandered over to Maggie Valley for a late dinner at one of our favorite Italian restaurants - Frankie's Trattoria. On our way to Maggie Valley we experienced one of the most exciting things ever --- we saw a BLACK BEAR! Pretty sure it was a male - it was enormous and didn't have any cubs with it. It ran right in front of our car! I've wanted to see a black bear ever since we started our trips to the NC mountains...and now I've seen one!
Wine and bread...what a perfect combination...
Wine and pasta...another perfect combination...
Sunday morning coffee...life doesn't get much better than this moment right here, folks...
Forgot to take a photo until I was half done...whoops...fresh fruit and a delicious banana bread...
English popover with cheesy eggs, breakfast potatoes with onions and peppers, and bacon!
After breakfast we packed up and started our trek back towards Covington, but not before snapping a photo of the smoky morning mountains...
We made a quick stop at the post office to mail our second postcard...
Our journey home took us by an adorable produce stand with this display of the three bears made out of hay bales...
How cute is that???
I love a good produce stand!
PUMPKINS!
I love, love, love fall...
Tomatoes...
Jellies and jams...we grabbed a jar of strawberry rhubarb - so yummy!
Local honey!
We picked out a pumpkin!
There were a few pumpkins that were MASSIVE - one was $79!
More pumpkins, folks...there's no such thing as too many pumpkins...
View of the mountains across the river from the produce stand...
RA didn't want our pumpkin to roll around in the back of the car...so he buckled it in...
We continued our drive towards Covington stopping for a quick bite to eat at a local Mexican restaurant in Cornelia, GA. We made it home mid-afternoon in time for RA to jump into my car to go pick up the boys and the dogs in Perry. I spent the evening unpacking and preparing for the work + school week ahead - clothes for everyone, lunches for everyone, dinners, etc.
The boys and dogs spent a few days in Perry with Nana and Babu and they of course, had the time of their lives.
LAZY beagles enjoying Nana's back porch...
Ellis helping Babu fix a bookshelf...
Gus squishing Ellis...he loves his dog...
Snaggle-tooth! RF lost another tooth at Nana's house!
These two fellas are two peas in a pod...Ellis Hawk loves his Babu...
Daisy (Nana's dog) and Daisy (our dog) enjoying a nap on the couch...
Shirtless Ellis in a south GA cotton field...
Sporting his GA Bulldogs shirt in a south GA cotton field...
I needed this Fall Break so much. And this trip was the perfect ending to a wonderful week of relaxation. Cheers to fall as we prepare for RF's 7th birthday in a few weeks, enjoy a few fun fall activities, and then usher in the holiday season!
