Log Cabin Vacations

While some families prefer to head to amusement parks, or board cruise ships for their vacations, my family generally opts for something less complicated, quieter and simpler: we go on log cabin vacations.

It started on our honeymoon, when, being stressed by 60 hour work weeks, wedding plans, long commutes to and from our jobs, one evening I sat down and said to my fiance, "All I want to do for the honeymoon is head off to a log cabin in the middle of nowhere and not have to do anything." And, bless his heart, that is exactly what we did.

He rented a beautiful little log cabin about 3 hours (and a million miles) away from the hustle and bustle of our home near Los Angeles and we were able to spend an amazing time away just resting up and enjoying each other. Oh, and to top it all off, it was a pet friendly rental so we were able to bring our basset hound, Waldo.

Fast forward to now. I'm now a stay-at-home working mom with three children, ages 3, 6 and 7. And while I've traded in my daily commute to raise the kids, it's still a life of school, piano and scouting activities, volunteer work and never ending battles to get the homework done. One thing we haven't changed though are our log cabin vacations.

Sure, they've changed over the years to accommodate our family but we're still hooked on them. There are so many advantages to renting a log cabin for vacation. We have rented nearby weekend cabins for a couple of days of relaxation and flown thousands of miles to rent a log cabin and explore the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Mornings are generally my favorite time of day when we're on our log cabin vacation. I sneak out of bed about the time the sun comes up, grab a hot, steaming cup of coffee and a blanket and head out to the porch to watch the first rays of light burst through the trees and hit the ground. There's something so very peaceful about that time and I'm usually joined within minutes by my husband and our wonderful old Waldo as we sit on the porch chairs or the swing that are inevitably on every porch.

Sometime during the afternoon our family usually heads out for a leisurely hike through the quiet forests, enjoying the peaceful day. We've all learned to use all our senses to experience the time together. We spend our evenings in front of the fireplace playing "Old Maid" card games, Scrabble or roasting marshmallows and sipping hot chocolate. Often the log cabins have a hot tub and we'll brave the chilly night air to sit and drink a glass of wine, gazing at the stars and listening to the far off sounds of owls or coyotes.

All in all, as a family we're hooked on our log cabin vacations, a tradition started long ago by my simple honeymoon request to spend my honeymoon in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere.