Greetings from Gatlinburg!

Happy Thursday and more importantly, Happy Thanksgiving! If you're following me on Instagram or Snapchat (kcpace12), you know that the Paces are spending our holiday in Gatlinburg, TN, at Eric's grandparents' cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains! Technically, we're in Sevierville, TN, but most people are more familiar with Gatlinburg, which is several miles up the road.

It was actually my decision a year ago to spend Thanksgiving 2015 in the mountains. Last year, Vaught was just two months old, and we still weren't doing much travelling with him. Seriously, we refused to travel further than an hour with such a new baby. The furthest we travelled was Tupelo from Olive Branch, which is about 70 miles. So, I told Eric that next year we would spend our holiday at the cabin with his family.

We drove up Tuesday evening and arrived right before 3AM Wednesday morning. We were in bed by four and slept until Vaught woke up a little after eight. After breakfast, Eric and I left for a workout. I just typed in "fitness" into my Google Maps app, and it took us to a gym called Workout Anytime in Pigeon Forge.

It was Eric's leg day and my cardio/upper body day. I did 30 minutes on the treadmill, then bicep, tricep, and shoulder exercises with 15 and 20 pound dumbbells. Eric was trying to hit 700 pound squats, but the bar wasn't wide enough to fit any more plates after 540. Oh, the struggle!

 
 
 

We came home and hung out until it was time for dinner. We had hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and dip, potato salad, and chocolate-covered pretzels for dessert. And I love that we've continuously kept coffee made here at the cabin! It's hot and ready literally any time of day because between me and Eric's mom and stepdad, we consume a lot of coffee!

This morning, Vaught slept until eight, then we got up and made coffee. I had to go outside and get some fresh mountain air. I love how crisp and cool it is here. The only negative part is the effect it has on my breathing. I have asthma, and any change in elevation completely throws me off. I've had to keep my inhaler nearby, but as long as I have it I'm good to go!

We're looking forward to an amazing day and a delicious feasts early this afternoon. Just wanted to hop on the blog to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving on this beautiful day!

Vaught walking with Eric's grandparents :)

 

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Life Updates

I've not fallen off the face of the earth, nor have I quit blogging; I am simply without Internet at my house and can't haul off to Starbucks every time I need it... Okay, so I can, but for the sake of my budget, I'm trying not to.

So, what have we been up to??

I'm not going to lie: I am working harder than I ever have and still somehow feel like I just can't get it together. The stress was real a few weeks ago, and I finally broke down and made an appointment with my doctor. That, my friends, is real life, and I'm glad I was able to recognize the signs of needing to seek help from a professional. I am feeling so much better and am enjoying my job again. I love how hard I work and how it pays off at the end of most every day.

In the last couple weeks, I've been teaching my sweet sixers some pretty complex skills, and they're killing it and by killing it I mean they're doing an amazing job! I was so impressed with the last test they took for me, and I'm excited for the one I'm giving this Friday.

Eric loves his job at Moore Technical College in Memphis, and I'm so glad. He is happy to get up and go to work each day and he comes home happy and in good spirits, even on those strenuous Tuesday and Thursdays when he's at the school from seven until nine.

And Vaught? Well, he's grand! He took his first steps yesterday, and I was SO excited! He thought it was hilarious and eventually just fell to the floor giggling at all of us watching him. I was glad to see him have a good day; he's still been coughing a lot and has woken up in the middle of the night a couple of times with slight fever. Even still, he stays happy and playful and is so sweet to other children. I love sneaking up on him when I pick him up at daycare and watching him interact with the other kids!

For Halloween Vaught dressed as Laquon Treadwell!

He loves my homemade pumpkin spice pancakes!

I have two major goals for the next two weeks until Thanksgiving break: stay on top of things at school and work out 3-4 times each week. Lately, I've only been going to the gym twice a week and going for a short run once or twice a week, but I'm going to get back in a good gym routine before Thanksgiving! I stepped on the scale a few days ago and was thrilled to see that I've not regressed in my weight loss; my weight teeters between 204 and 207 pounds. Although I'm not quite where I'd like to be, I am truly happy with how I look for now. There's still some to lose, but I'm at total peace with my body and feel confident and happy :)

Can I just say I'm so blessed to have this girl in my life?!

Loved my cozy outfit for Saturday's game against Arkansas!

I hope you're all doing well! Thanks for not giving up on me as I struggle without the convenience of wifi, haha! Have an amazing week!