The Best Vacation

“What’s the best vacation you’ve ever had?”

Every year my family and I take a trip somewhere, usually to a beach of some sort. I have many fond memories of being at the beach and exploring all the different places surrounding the beach. However, I wouldn’t consider any of those trips to be the best vacation I’ve ever had.

When I was about 10 years old, my grandparents decided we were going to take a trip to Gatlinburg that year. Up until that year it had always just been my grandparents and I taking short weekend trips to places like the Zoo or Six Flags. This trip was different. Not only were we taking a week-long trip, we were going to be in another state and my little sister was coming too.

My sister, Kara, and I are very different people. That has been evident from birth. I don’t know if it was because of different life circumstances or what but when she was little she was a serious home-body. She would not leave our mom’s side. This was the first time she had ever been away from home and mom and dad for more than just one night. I, on the other hand, have always loved being on the move; staying at friends and family’s houses, trips, etc (I’ve grown into more of a home body now that I’m older and she is almost always gone now. Funny how things change). So, for little Kara, this trip was a HUGE step.

The trip down to Tennessee wasn’t that bad (beside’s the fact that we had to climb mountains in our SUV and I thought we might flip over and die). But, once we got settled in the condo, the realization that we weren’t going back home for several days set in and Kara started to panic. I don’t remember how long she cried but all she wanted was her Daddy and Mommy. She could not understand why they couldn’t come. I, on the other hand, was thrilled that we were in the mountains for the first time in my life and we were staying in an ENORMOUS (to me) house! Thankfully, after that first night she calmed down and we resumed arguing like young siblings do.

Later that week was when the real fun started. My grandparents had scoped out some of the attractions ahead of time so they could give us some ideas of what there was to do in the area. There were shows, little “theme park” type places, trails to hike, and best of all… the Alpine Slide. I don’t remember what day we went there but I fondly remember how much fun that was. We were taken to the top of the “slide” on a ski lift. I had never been on a ski lift so there was yet another first for me. Once we made it to the top we were told how to operate the little cars and what to expect while on the slide. I put slide in quotations because it’s not actually a slide that you sit on your bottom and slide down like we typically think. This was a concrete trail down the mountain that you drove a little car down. As a 10 year old (and even now), that was so cool. Both Kara and I got to drive our own cars. We were officially “big girls”.

The rest of the week we got to ride different things like a giant ski lift-type car suspended over part of the city (I think it was called Uber Gatlinberg) and explore things more. We could also just hang out at the rental house which had 3 floors and plenty of things to do. I still remember quite vividly, all the features of the house, the breathtaking view of the mountains, and one specific smell. I don’t remember where it came from but I’ve smelled it many times since that trip and it always brings me back.

That trip was full of many firsts and great experiences that I’ll never forget. The fact that my grandparents have given us the opportunity and privilege to explore this great country every year just warms my heart. They are amazing people, great role models, my cheerleaders, mentors, and friends. The impact that they’ve had on my life is huge. I would not be who I am or where I am without them, no doubt. They’ve given and shared so many great memories like this one and continue to do so to this day. Reminiscing about this trip makes me excited to find out where we are going this year.

Here are a couple pictures from one of our more recent vacations to the beach. My aunt, uncle, and cousins got to join us that year. This is a pretty accurate representation of all of us. LOL

Until next time,

KP