Mount Mitchell

 

As we talked about what we wanted to do for the day after Thanksgiving, we did some research and found that Mount Mitchell was about a 45 minute drive away.  That seemed like a sign!  So, we put on our hiking shoes and headed out to explore!

Mitchell cousins

Manny and Ella:  hiking buddies.

Lacey and Tanner enjoying the views from the top of Mount Mitchell.

Riley gives it two thumbs up.

Mount Mitchell is named after Elisha Mitchell..... we'll have to do some family history to see if we are related!

The Mitchells conquered Mount Mitchell!  The highest peak East of the Mississippi. 💪

The two original Mitchells.

So glad we added to our crew.

Next, we did the Balsam Nature Trail.

The tiniest (and cutest) hiker on the trail.

My beautiful Lacey girl.

These two were 5 and 3 last time they saw each other and have virtually no memories of each other.  This trip, they became best buddies!  It absolutely warms my heart to see the next generation bond and become friends.  And side note.... we brought clothes that the kids had outgrown for Manny and Ashland.  This army fleece is Tanner's.  He loved it and wore it often and it makes me so happy to see Manny wearing it 💙

A map of where we are in North Carolina.

After an afternoon of hiking and exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains, we came back to the hotel and let the kids play in the pool and hot tub until Lindsay, Kevin and Reagan arrived.  Then we ordered Mellow Mushroom pizza for dinner 🍕

And then headed downtown Ashland for ice cream.

A little sweet treat at the end of a pretty sweet day.

And then we bopped into all the cute little shops.

I snapped this pic of Lacey with her Aunt Heather trying on hats.  It's one of my favorite pics of the day! 💕

Thanksgiving in Asheville

A few months ago, long before I got sick and back when the numbers were low, we decided to go to Asheville, NC for Thanksgiving weekend.  Once plans were in place, I told my brother (Ricky, who lives 8 hours away - Asheville is exactly equidistant between us) and my sister (Lindsay, just 2.5 hours from Asheville) of our plans and asked if either of them would be able to join us.  To my delight, they both agreed to come!  I found a hotel that could accommodate all of us and we got our tickets to Biltmore.  And then..... the numbers started spiking and I contacted COVID-19.  We were SO sad.  We figured the trip would have to be canceled and would be one more thing on my "Covid Casualty" list.  BUT, I was EXTREMELY strict with my isolation and miraculously was able to avoid getting anyone else in my family sick.  We were able to come out of isolation (for me) and quarantine (for them) in time for Thanksgiving and decided to move forward with our plans.  And I'm so glad we did!

                                               

                                                       

We arrived on Thanksgiving day and met up with Ricky and family at a local park. 

And, while we were thrilled to see Ricky, Heather and Manny (who we haven't see in over two years since the August 2018 family reunion in Destin), we were especially thrilled to meet baby Ashland!  She is 17 months old and none of us have ever met her.  So, it was fo fun to FINALLY meet our newest cousin and niece!

Isn't she so cute?  She reminds me of how Ricky looked at that age.

Can't get enough of Baby Ashland!

Tanner bonding with cousin Manny.

And we all played a pretty epic soccer game, followed by throwing footballs, frisbees and time at the playground.  We were blessed with beautiful weather and were wishing that we had also brought our basketball, pickle ball rackets and tennis rackets!

When we got hungry, we all headed to Cracker Barrel for Thanksgiving dinner.

Bon Appetite! 🦃

And bonus..... no prep time and no dishes!

As a side note here, I know many/most people equate Thanksgiving with staying home, being with family, and having a traditional home cooked meal.  Dave and I met in Spain 16 years ago this week over Thanksgiving.  We met traveling.  We had our first Thanksgiving meal together in Andalusia eating paella. And we've made it a tradition ever since.  There have been a couple Thanksgiving where we've done the "stay at home/traditional" Thanksgiving route, but those have been the exceptions to the rule.  For the most part, we pack up and go somewhere and make a memory.

And then back to the hotel for pool time!  I spent countless hours finding a place for us to stay.  Due to COVID, it was so hard to find a place (especially over Thanksgiving weekend) that had availability, was able to accommodate all of us, was affordable AND had open amenities such as a pool.  Grateful to have found the Holiday Inn Express in Asheville (great location) and that had a pool, hot tub and fitness center, all of which were open (with limited capacity).

And bonus..... this even had an indoor/outdoor pool!  The kids all got a kick out of swimming through "the cave" and going to/from the indoor/outdoor pool.

Ella enjoying an outdoor night time swim.

Cannon ball!!!

Perfect way to end Thanksgiving.... family time in the hot tub!

COVID Follow up and #GiveThanks

 

At any age, it's hard not to leave the house.  But when you are a kid, it is especially hard.  You are fully aware of everything going on around you that you can't be a part of.  So what do you do for days on end when you aren't allowed to go outside your home?

Well, for Lacey, she played with her (camouflaged) Kitty......

And she decided to move her bedroom down to the basement.  As the artist of the family, she asked if she could design and paint the walls.  We told her to go for it!  Here she is putting up the tape to begin painting.

Mid-project.

And finished project!

Tanner built a massive fort in his room.  Can you spot him?

Riley took full advantage of me being locked away and moved her virtual school room to her bed and got into the spirit of "hat day."

And was still able to attend Primary on Sunday via zoom.

And Ella (along with Dave and her siblings) helped decorate the house for Christmas.  May as well do it early this year since they all of a sudden had a lot of time on their hands to get it done! 🎄

Lacey adding some ornaments.

And also.... a week ago, President Nelson (the President of our Church) challenged us all to think of things for which we are grateful.  During this time of uncertainty, disappointment, angst, etc, it is so easy to get depressed, overwhelmed and frustrated.  So, his challenge was for us to focus on our many blessings rather than what we've lost or missed.

I am grateful of course for all the cliche blessings of most importance: my family, friends, the gospel, our home, plentiful food, healthcare, employment..... I could go on and on.  

But the thing I am most grateful for above and beyond the aforementioned "givens" is sports for my kids.  My kids have not had the option to step foot in a classroom since the second week in March.  They have not been able to do any of the many, many other things associated with school - clubs, theatre, drama, band, talent shows, etc, etc.  For many months they didn't have sports either.  But club sports (not associated with school) started back up a few months ago and I am SO GRATEFUL.  It has been an outlet these kids desperately needed.

Lacey's team recently participated in a tournament and came in second place!  She rarely leaves the house aside from going to soccer, so soccer has been such a Godsend for her.

Tanner's baseball season ended about a month ago, but I'm so grateful, after the Spring season was canceled, that he was able to do Fall ball.  He loved every minute of it. 

And Riley has had the opportunity to participate in two sports this Fall.  Lacrosse with Maryland United.

And soccer with the 2010 Green Hornets Select team (Stingers).

She plays goalie about 90% (or more) of the time and LOVES it!

And little Ella Grace played soccer as well.  She is following in her sisters' footsteps (literally) for sure!  She loves the sport and she's so much fun to watch!  She's small but mighty!  She's fast and competitive and scored goals in nearly every game.

I'm not sure Winter sports will happen.  Fall sports happened because the numbers were down and it was outside.  Now that numbers are spiking again and Winter sports are inside, I fully expect it will all get canceled, which makes me so sad. But rather than dwelling on that, I #givethanks that Fall Sports happened for all four of my kids and was such a blessing for all of us for so many reasons.  We all appreciate these athletic opportunities far more than we ever did before! ⚽⚾