The great Schunke road trip: Part 3

(This post is the third and final part of our road trip recap. Check out this post for part 1, the beach, and this post for part 2, Atlanta.) For the third and final leg of the road trip, we headed northwest into the hills of Tennessee to meet up with Matt's family.

His family is normally a little more spread out than mine, so it had been several years since everyone had gotten together. In fact, the last time we'd seen several of the cousins was at our wedding almost seven years ago, and we hadn't met some of the youngest ones, who have been born since then.

Due to the isolation of the resort and the fact that we had 14 people (ranging in age from 2 to over 70) to accommodate, we tried to keep things as simple as possible, so much of the time was spent at the pool (both inside and outside); inside chatting, reading, and playing games; and going on a few hikes. Oh, and B got his first manicure. He was very proud of those nails.

It was lovely to get to spend some more time outside in the beautiful surroundings, and even B got into the hikes.

Months ago, after much discussion, everyone decided to plan a reunion and meet up at a resort outside Crossville, Tennessee, which is about midway between Nashville and Knoxville. Relatives came in from Detroit, California, Vermont, DC, Chicago, and St. Louis (via Atlanta).

This trip has also been a milestone in B's acclimation to the pool. He was not a fan of it last year and was still pretty hesitant at the start of summer this year, but since conquering the ocean waves, he has just made one leap after another. He loves using his whale floatie, which allows him to easily float upright, and toward the end of our time in Tennessee, he also learned he could float on his back and really loved it (before, he didn't like putting his head in the water). I think this means we'll be spending a lot more time at the pool at home. :)

The great Schunke road trip of 2014 has come to a close, but it was wonderful to see so much family and add a few new places and adventures to our list. Now, back to exploring St. Louis...