The Gift of Togetherness

One of the best gifts ever given to Peter and I happened last week.  As I mentioned before, my mother-in-law had come down to visit us and the main reason for her visit was to watch the kids for us so Peter and I could getaway for a night in celebration of ten years of marriage.  I am not going to lie and say we left them behind without hesitation.  The fact is, this was the first time I was away from MaKenna overnight (or for more than a few hours really) since her birth.  As most mothers are, I was worried she wouldn't handle the seperation very well.  But she was in very good hands and had her brothers to help ease any anxiety (and as it turned out, she didn't miss us at all).  So we packed our bags and headed to the mountains for a romantic getaway.  And it was wonderful!  We took in the views, did some early stocking stuffer shopping, ate wonderful meals at quant little local restaurants, held each others hand, relaxed in front of the fire and enjoyed uninterrupted conversation.  Needless to say, the only pictures I took were of our visit to Grandfather Mountain.  The day started out very gray, gloomy and wet and we debated back and forth whether or not to continue on as planned.  In the end, we decided to go anyways and I am so glad we did.  We spent several hours there enjoying the scenery, which was beautiful even in its foggy state.  As we were leaving, the clouds parted and the sun began to peek out.  We took a scenic route home and marveled at the beauty of the surroundings.   

The pictures really don't do justice to how incredibly beautiful it was.  As high as we were, the trees were already completely bare, but just below to the lower elevations, the foliage was in its peak colors.  The hills were colored in reds, oranges and golds and I just kept saying "look at how beautiful it is".  You couldn't help but be happy up there! 

I am so grateful to Granny and Gramps for not only coming down and making the visit so fun for the kids but for also recognizing how important this time alone was for Peter and I.  We love you!