Such a lovely drive home from Tennessee yesterday.
When we reached the valley floor near Cherokee, North Carolina, we pulled in at the Oconaluftee Visitors Center.
On the road just outside the Center was a yellow diamond-shaped sign. Eli started to read it, but it whizzed by too fast. "It said 'Elk Crossing,' " Brian explained. In a bright, excited voice, Eli repeated, "Elf crossing? ELF crossing?! We're between our house and the North Pole, so the elves go across here?!" Instantly I could picture it too -- little elves zipping past on sleds anytime snow dusted the valley.
A few hours later, as nice as it was to be home again, I thought about those elves and wished they were around to help deal with stuffed suitcases and dirty laundry reeking of old campfire. With plenty of time left to crank out toys for next Christmas, maybe they would pitch in a little around here. Or even a helper elk would be fine. He wouldn't have opposable thumbs, which is a handicap when it comes to housework, but even if he'd just lick up the cracker crumbs under Eli's chair...
Eli has the day off for a teacher workday and we'd planned an adventure to Atlanta, but now we're both sick with colds. The day has become endless flow of coughs, Kleenex, and kid movies while avoiding the whole unpacking mess upstairs. But here's what I'm daydreaming about:
Homemade s'mores
The Lodge provided a basket of s'more ingredients, but I brought some of our homemade (and square-shaped) marshmallows to try as well. Yummy! (The homemade version melts faster...and burns faster.)
A breakfast spot with a view
Fresh cinnamon rolls and this outside the window...
And a lodge room balcony with a view too
A cozy bed
Ahhhh. A hot bath was just the thing for this sick mama. And the Lodge bathtub has little doors that swing open so you can see the mountains during a soak.
Or a view of a chocolate-faced boy. (In my opinion, both are stunningly beautiful, although the mountains are a bit quieter.)
The little details like warm terrycloth bathrobes waiting in the closet, tiny round soaps that smell good, and...
A cup of tea whenever you need one.
Maybe I don't need a helper elf or a helper elk. Maybe I just need to do a
U-turn back to Gatlinburg and the Lodge at Buckberry Creek! (Click HERE for the Lodge's website.) Many thanks to my sweet husband for planning a wonderful birthday weekend! And two thumbs up for the nice folks at the Lodge. The breakfast server showed Eli the magic of using a coffee stir as a teeny straw, the night clerk cheerfully made us a campfire and searched out unbroken graham crackers, plus when the room cleaner found out I was stuck there sick, he brought me a snickerdoodle. The little comforts helped salvage a long-awaited trip partially ruined by illness. I doubt a helper elf or elk could do better.
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