Finding Joy through Life's Trials
My heart is hurting today. Truth be told, it’s hurt a lot off and on for several months. The past few days I’ve been especially down, though. The reason why is a one-word answer, and I bet you can guess it. Yep… Cancer. In our …
I know. I know you’ve already seen too many ideas for non-profits to donate to this week to count. I know it’s right before Christmas, and odds are good that your own finances are stretched tighter than you’d like. However, I also know firsthand how …
For fall break we rented a cute cabin via Airbnb in the Smoky Mountains and had a great time rediscovering Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge and exploring with my parents. It was everything we’d hoped it would be! We loved the cabin—so much so that Logan still calls it “our cabin”. It was capacious, clean, and surrounded by beauty. It had a fun theater room complete with comfy recliners AND a hot tub! Lincoln loved rocking on the decks surrounded by trees. Logan was thoroughly disappointed when we told him we had to come back home. He thought we’d moved there. 😂 (LMK if you’d like the details for this rental!)
We started off our first full day in the Smokies by grabbing breakfast at Crockett’s Breakfast Camp in Gatlinburg. We all agreed that it was DELICIOUS!!! Gatlinburg is apparently known for having fantastic breakfast joints, so we had a lot of options. Crockett’s not only had great reviews and yummy-looking dishes, but it also had a virtual queue we could join before we physically got there! That always gets bonus points in my book. I wish more restaurants did that.
The ambience inside was charming and spacious, and the food was just as delectable as we were hoping it would be. We were all STUFFED by the end, though! Their country ham, in particular, was a unique and delicious side. Josh got their giant cinnamon roll for all of us to share, and we had to bring the whole thing back to our Airbnb because none of us had room for another bite. It was still scrumptious when we reheated it the next day.
Just a note… When they say their griddle cakes (definitely not plain ol’ pancakes) are thick, believe them! LOL
The whole reason we went to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge over fall break was because that area has A LOT of attractions we could get into for free through November (thanks to Lincoln’s Give Kids the World Passport). Even before we went on his wish trip to Florida last year, I was hoping we could take advantage of the passport in Tennessee this year. My plan panned out!
The attraction our boys were most excited about was Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. The adults weren’t expecting it to be so cool! It was huge, had lots of interactive activities for kids, and had an awesome moving walkway where fish and sharks swam overhead. We especially liked seeing a sawfish up close, which none of us had ever seen in person before. It honestly might be the best aquarium we’ve been to, and we’ve gone to several!
That night we got takeout from the AMAZING Delauder’s BBQ for dinner. “Delicious” doesn’t even come close to how good it was. These pictures aren’t great because it was takeout, but don’t let that fool you. My mom, dad, and I all got their Smoky Mountain Potato, which is a baked potato topped with slow cooked pork, baked beans, nacho cheese, and sour cream. Yuuuuuummmmmy!!! Everything I tried was good—Smoky Mountain Nachos, Fried Mac ‘n Cheese, Green Beans, and Potato Salad.
I read a lot about Bennett’s Pit Bar-B-Que before going on the trip. I hadn’t read about Delauder’s anywhere, but it actually has better (though fewer) reviews. I’m so glad we tried it! Just be aware that—at least when we went—it was cash only.
When my family went for a drive on the beautiful Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail the next morning, they spotted SIX BLACK BEARS!!! The drive was super busy (as it often is at this time of year), but it was worth it.
After the drive we ate at another great restaurant: the New Orleans Sandwich Company. Josh had wanted to get their food the last time we went to Gatlinburg, but we’d wanted takeout, and they don’t (or at least didn’t) do takeout orders. Their food was delicious! I tried several of their sides—including their flavorful crab cakes, and Josh got their gumbo.
After lunch we spent several hours shopping and doing different activities we got into for free (again, with Link’s GKTW passport) along main street. Our favorite was probably Ripley’s Believe It or Not Odditorium. We also went through a mirror maze, and Josh took Logan to the 5D Moving Theater. Logan really wanted to do Ripley’s Haunted Adventure, but we read and were told by the workers that it’d probably be too scary for him.
The next day of our trip was epic. Anyone who knows me well knows that I’m a huge “Titaniac” (a term I learned on this trip that’s short for “Titanic Maniac” 😊). Honestly, the very first thing that made me interested in a trip to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg was when I learned about Pigeon Forge’s huge Titanic attraction/museum. We didn’t go last time because we were still scared of Covid, but we got to go this time! And it was free!!! And it was AMAZING!!!!!!!
Before you enter the museum, you get a “boarding ticket” with the name and details of an actual passenger on the doomed ocean liner. At the end, you find out whether or not the person on your ticket was one of the lucky survivors. Out of the six of us, only my poor dad in steerage didn’t survive. Josh’s ticket was for Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon! Lincoln’s ticket was for the cute boy spinning his top in the famous photograph.
I was a bit worried that our boys would be bored, but they weren’t at all. The museum has tons of hands-on activities to keep kids interested as well as kid-specific recordings for the self-guided audio tour. Logan was actually fascinated and has talked about it several times since we went, which—of course—makes me happy. LOL
Another thing I loved about the museum is that it was great at spreading awareness for different needs. Since we went in October, they had several pink ribbons in different areas for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. (I’m going to contact someone to see if they’d be willing to do gold ribbons in September for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. 😊 Join me! If they get enough requests, they might do it!)
They also had an awesome video about the boy who built the World’s Largest Titanic model—a MASSIVE Titanic model built using 56,000 Lego bricks! It’s on display at the museum, and the amount of detail and work that went into it is awe-inspiring. The boy who built it has autism, and the video was about not only his work but also about autism awareness and inclusion. I loved it so much!
After the Titanic Museum, we grabbed lunch at The Old Mill Restaurant. We had about a half hour wait after they put my name on the list, but the time passed quickly. They have a bunch of things you can look at while waiting. They even have speakers outside and in the General Store next door so you can be sure not to miss it when they call your name.
Josh got chicken and dumplings, and I got their meatloaf and green beans. Their hush puppies were REALLY good. In fact, Lincoln couldn’t get enough of them! Not only was all of the food scrummy, but the restaurant had also thought of everything for making their building accessible. They had a big ramp up to the entrance. They also had a wheelchair lift to help us move Lincoln to another level, and they obviously use it all the time because the process was quick and streamlined.
After we ate, we walked around enjoying the other shops. We also had to try the ice cream at the Old Mill Creamery. I’m still drooling over their creamy peanut butter ice cream. 😉 🤤
We spent our last morning in Gatlinburg riding the tram up to Ober Mountain. The pictures do NOT do it justice! The fall colors were breathtaking, and we all had a wonderful time. They had a carousel, a small zoo, an alpine slide, and so much more.
Dollywood was the last attraction we visited before leaving early the next morning. I literally had only one thing on my Dollywood bucket list: eat the famous cinnamon bread. It lived up to the hype! Everything else at Dollywood was great, too.
We knew we simply had to go there—especially because I listened to and really enjoyed Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics earlier this year. We’re in a bit of an amusement park wasteland here in Utah—and Lagoon knows it. They have the monopoly on the market. They charge more than Dollywood, and it’s not nearly as cool. Ah, well…
We all loved Dollywood! It was so charming. The harvest decorations everywhere were wonderful, and we chose the perfect day—temperature- and crowd-wise—to go. I rode on a few rides, but I’m getting older and less and less adventurous. Our little thrillseeker, Lincoln, on the other hand, was more than happy to accompany Josh on any rollercoaster he was tall enough for! He LOOOOOOVES rollercoasters, and it’s so cute to see how excited he gets. Logan was more like me—more interested in the food. 😂
None of the six of us could pick our favorite part of the trip; the whole thing was wonderful. There’s a reason Gatlinburg attracts a lot of tourists—especially in the fall. I highly recommend you plan a trip there. I know we’re sure to go back ourselves.
We were fortunate enough to go to St. Simons Island (SSI), Georgia for the second time this past June! If you’ve been following us for awhile, you might remember that in July of 2022, we attended a family retreat on SSI with Blue Skies Ministries. …
When I was two and three years old, I often excitedly ran up the sidewalk and front steps to a red brick, 1950s bungalow as my mom gathered things from our car. Even though I went there at least a couple of times a week …
We got back from Lincoln’s Make-a-Wish trip late on November 22nd, and we’re still on a high from it. The trip was amazing, and we will cherish the memories we made there forever. They automatically included so much on the wish trip. I’m blown away by the generosity of people and these organizations! Here’s a list of what was included in our trip, courtesy of Utah’s Make-a-Wish chapter:
To say we were spoiled would be a massive understatement.
We had to be at the airport for our flight out by 5 in the morning on November 17th. 🥴 It was rough, but once we were through security, it was perfect. Having such an early flight gave us as much time in Florida as we could squeeze out. Our boys did GREAT on the flight! They even got to go into the cockpit and meet the pilots! It was a much better experience for me than our flights this past summer. Having my parents with us definitely helped. 😉
After we landed, we had a sweet Give Kids the World volunteer greet us at the Orlando airport and lead us to get our rental car. Then we drove to the magical Give Kids the World Village. We ate a late lunch, settled into our villa, and started enjoying everything the village had to offer.
Every night the village has a themed party. This first night was their Christmas party! I’d been told by several people that we couldn’t miss it, so we decided to stay at GKTW the first day. The Christmas party was great fun. Our boys got to meet and get pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Then they each got to pick out a toy for their presents. The party also had a balloon artist (which Logan insisted on waiting in a LONG line for), games, arts and crafts, cookie decorating, music, and dancing. It was a wonderful beginning to our trip.
After a yummy breakfast (the food at GKTW was SO MUCH BETTER than we were expecting), we got to meet a penguin from Madagascar. 😊 Then we went to Hollywood Studios. Most of our time was spent enjoying the Star Wars area and rides, but we visited other areas, too. Link’s wish pass was AMAZING!!!! Rise of the Resistance had a 2-1/2 hour standby wait time, but with the pass we were in and out within half an hour. Josh and Logan had a blast building a droid, and Link thoroughly enjoyed the musical holiday popcorn tin I simply had to buy.
That night we went to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom and loved it! As soon as we got in, we bought our boys flashing bubble wands (Mickey for Link and Buzz for LA) and Christmas light necklaces. The bubble wands added to the snow on Main Street, and the flashing necklaces made it so we couldn’t lose our boys. 😉
We had fun sampling cookies and drinks throughout the park and going on some rides. Lincoln’s favorite ride this night was It’s a Small World, which we thought was funny. Josh and I had never been on it before because…well…we’d never had kids making us go on it before this trip. 😂
We watched the fireworks and the end of the parade before heading back to our villa. Lincoln LOVED the fireworks. He’s always loved them. ❤️
We met up with my niece (who lives in Orlando) and spent this day split between Epcot and Animal Kingdom (and, of course, GKTW). It was so nice having McKenzee with us as our personal guide since she goes to the parks so often! As anyone who’s been to Disney World knows, there’s never enough time to do everything you want to, but we had a fantastic first time at all four of the parks on our trip.
We started off in the morning at Epcot with the Guardians of the Galaxy ride, which Josh and I both LOVED. Unfortunately, it made Lincoln and my dad very sick and my mom slightly so. 🤢 We took things fairly slowly after that. We all really enjoyed Turtle Talk with Crush. I also loved the Norwegian decor and treats.
We hopped over to Animal Kingdom around 5, and we were all blown away by how cool Pandora and Avatar’s Flight of Passage were! We definitely didn’t get to spend enough time at this park, but I guess that just means we’ll have to plan another trip!
This is the day we (especially my mom and I) had been waiting for! The day started off with our boys going horseback riding at GKTW, but THEN we finally got to experience Harry Potter World for ourselves!!!! We’ve succeeded in turning our boys into fans, so they were super excited, too. It was adorable. Logan kept asking if we were at the real Harry Potter World. 😊
It was a VERY rainy day, but we were prepared with ponchos, umbrellas, blankets, gloves, and hats. We honestly didn’t mind the rain! It just made us feel like we were actually in the UK, and it made the hot butterbeer divine. We ate at the Three Broomsticks (and loved it), thought the rides were fantastic, and soaked everything in. Lincoln was fascinated by the Monster Book of Monsters, and Logan was practically jumping up and down when we let them pick out wands.
We ended the day going to the Jurassic Park area, so our boys were on cloud nine by the end of the night. Magic and dinosaurs—what more could our family ask for?!
This was the last full day of our trip. We went to Universal Studios again and wore ourselves out (again). Lincoln found his very favorite ride (Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster, of all rides 😂). Josh and I got to experience the VelociCoaster two times in a row with the wish pass while my parents watched our boys. We also got to meet Tango, a baby velociraptor. It was pretty funny. Logan had been talking about meeting a dinosaur at Universal Studios for MONTHS. When the time came, though, he was too scared to even get out of the stroller for the photo op. 😂
We got back to our villa just in time for the cutest thing ever: a bedtime “tuck-in” for our boys from Rugby the dog. You can schedule a tuck-in at GKTW during your stay, and a dressed-up character from the village comes and makes the kids’ bedtime special. The next morning our boys wanted to watch the video I took over and over again. So sweet!
This was our last day at Give Kids the World Village and the day we flew home. Though we were sad to see our vacation coming to an end, we weren’t as sad as I’d expected to be since we’d had such a fantastic, stress-free time. Our flight luckily didn’t leave till 6 PM, so we had time to enjoy things before leaving. We ate, rode on rides, steered boats, and played mini golf at GKTW.
After we left the Village, we met up with my niece Kenz and her boyfriend AJ at Disney Springs for a much-too-short last visit. We got delicious ice cream from Salt & Straw, our very favorite ice cream chain. (I was ecstatic when I found out before our trip that they had a location at Disney Springs, and I promptly added it to our must-do list.)
It’s safe to say that this was a vacation we will NEVER forget. Our fun isn’t even over yet! As part of wish trips, GKTW gives each family the “World Passport”. It’s provided through the IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions), and it will allow us to visit each of the included theme/amusement parks once free of charge for a year! I foresee several road trips in our 2023 plans. 😊
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. I worked on a different blog post about childhood cancer for several weeks in September, but it was honestly really hard. I bounced around working on one blog post after another, trying to get up the motivation to complete …
What Vacation?! You know the good ol’ saying, “I need a vacation from my vacation!”? Yeah. I definitely needed one after our trip to Georgia. We’ve been home for a whole month, but I came home with a horrible cold that refused to leave me …
July—Our Month for Childhood Cancer Family Retreats
This week we’re attending a weeklong retreat for families living through childhood cancer on St. Simons Island, Georgia. Blue Skies Ministries (BSM) is the nonprofit organization putting us up at the beautiful Sea Palms Resort. It’s been an amazing week so far! This getaway is set up much like Lighthouse Family Retreat (LFR), which we had the pleasure of vacationing with last summer. I’ll write about our fun trip to Georgia later, after we’ve fully enjoyed it and returned back home. In the meantime, though, you can read on about the incredible experience we had with LFR in Emerald Isle, North Carolina last July.
What is Lighthouse Family Retreat?
I first heard about LFR from an amazing Facebook group I’m part of. It’s for moms in Utah whose children are currently fighting or have battled childhood cancer. Several of the moms in this group had gone on an LFR trip with their families, and they all loved it.
(Sidenote: Facebook groups are where it’s at, y’all. Who’s with me on this? If it weren’t for the connections and resources I gain from specialized FB groups, I would have ditched this social media platform long ago. I’m looking at you, 2020. 😉😂)
“Lighthouse Family Retreat is a faith-based non-profit that exists to strengthen every family living through childhood cancer. We host restorative retreats and develop helpful resources so that families and their support systems can find hope in God and help in their fight.”
https://www.lighthousefamilyretreat.org
Trip Planning
As soon as applications were open for the summer 2021 LFR trips, I applied. I hoped and prayed that we’d be selected. We were coming up on the 18-month mark of Link’s treatment. We were so grateful that he was in remission and the maintenance phase of treatment. We fully believed (and, luckily, were right) that the worst was behind us and that he had less than a year of treatment left. However, we were also exhausted. A year and a half of cancer treatments, hospitalizations, and medications—during a global pandemic, no less—will do that to ya. The idea of a paid family beach vacation to connect with others who’d walked the same difficult path we had was thrilling.
We were SO happy when we got the emails and phone calls that confirmed our application had been accepted! We’d be going to Emerald Isle, North Carolina from July 12th to July 17th. We immediately started researching and getting excited about the trip. Okay, that’s a lie. I’d been pouring over Pinterest and travel blogs for months already just thinking about the possibility of going. That’s what I do. (Hi. My name is Becca, and I’m a Pinterest addict. 😉) Once our trip was official, though, I really started planning.
For a multitude of reasons, Josh and I decided that we wanted to take an epic cross-country road trip to North Carolina and back. Josh had plenty of vacation days at work, so we came up with an incredible 17-day itinerary. We started driving on July 6th and didn’t get back home until July 22nd. In addition to Emerald Isle, NC; we also spent time in Denver, CO; Salina, KS; St. Louis, MO; Gatlinburg, TN; Beaufort, NC; Charlotte, NC; Nashville, TN; and Kansas City, MO. It was truly a vacation we’ll never forget. (Let me know in the comments if you’d like to read more about our other stops on the road trip in a different post!)
My Facebook Post about LFR
After we got home from our trip last summer, I summed up our Lighthouse Family Retreat experience in a Facebook post. Here it is:
“I don’t even know where to start with this post, which is why we’ve been home for almost a whole week now and I still haven’t written it. To put it simply, our week at the Lighthouse Family Retreat was one of the best weeks of our lives. This non-profit organization, which “strengthen[s] families living through childhood cancer by offering restorative retreats and helpful resources”, is simply the best.
From the moment we arrived till the second we left, volunteers catered to our every request—spoken and unspoken. We have literally never felt so loved and cared for by so many (former) strangers. I tear up every time I think of these amazing people and the incredible gift they gave us.
We were assigned six volunteers (4 adults & 2 kids) to be our “Family Partners”. They greeted us enthusiastically when we arrived and helped us unload our car before bringing us dinner that first night. Throughout the rest of the week, they cleaned our condo, did our laundry (yes, even our “Mormon underwear”/”Jesus jammies”/[insert funny garment nickname here]), tended and played with our kids while Josh and I went to adult activities, etc. Lincoln has never had so many people jump at the chance to help him walk seemingly nonstop. Logan has never immediately taken to so many new people (or “friends”, as he calls every single new person he meets). I quickly lost count of how many times I told Josh I was going to go do something, and one of the volunteers jumped in and said, “No, sit down. I’ve got it .” Every single volunteer we encountered seemed to radiate Christ’s love. They truly were His hands and feet for the week—so selfless, so giving.
Each morning Josh and I were able to meet and talk with 23 other parents (including the 4 leading the discussions) who have gone/are going through their child having cancer. All of our stories brought us closer together. There’s something about being in a room where every single other person just “gets it”. I felt so seen, heard, and validated. It was so refreshing to hear again and again that I’m not the only mom who knows what it’s like to hear that your kid has cancer, who has spent countless days in the hospital with their sick child, who is utterly exhausted after every single clinic day, who has such a hard time getting motivated to do housework, who struggles with PTSD triggers, etc. These talk sessions were both therapeutic and, believe it or not, filled with tears AND laughter.
Josh and I also got to go on a date night with the other parents while all of the Family Partners watched our kids and threw them an “un-birthday” party. We had a delicious surf and turf dinner, enjoyed conversation, and were able to reconnect with one another. After dinner, Josh and I got time to ourselves before heading back to the condo. This is either sweet or pathetic, but we were so excited that we got to go grocery shopping TOGETHER for the first time in a very, very long time. We also got yummy ice cream and drove to more beautiful places on Emerald Isle. When we got back to the condo, our boys were already in their PJs and splendidly worn out.
I haven’t even talked about the phenomenal beach! It was clean and private, the sand was soft, and the ocean was just as warm as it was in Thailand, if not warmer. It’s safe to say that Logan’s introduction to the ocean was a huge success. If he could have been at the beach/in the ocean 24/7, he would have. Lincoln liked it, too—especially playing with the sand, but Logan is the one having a hard time re-adjusting to living in a land-locked state. 😂
We made a lot of sacrifices this summer in order to be able to safely attend this retreat. Every person (5 and older) who went, including the volunteers, had to get a Covid test a few days before arriving. Josh and I didn’t want any chance of us not being able to go after we’d planned everything, so we were, if possible, even more cautious in the weeks leading up to our vacation. We missed family events, wore masks indoors and outdoors, etc., etc. I’m so happy to say that it was all worth it in the end.
We will definitely be supporting LFR and possibly becoming volunteers for them for years to come. If you’re ever looking for a nonprofit to donate to, I highly encourage you to consider this one. I can’t say enough good things about it.”
Final Thoughts on LFR
Our week at LFR was beyond restorative. After 18 months of cancer treatments for our son, this retreat was just what we needed to step away from the daily stresses of medications, clinic appointments, sickness, side effects, Covid isolation, etc. We made priceless memories, developed stronger relationships, received blessings, and were spoiled.
This organization and all of its volunteers are phenomenal. We have never felt more loved and cared for from people we’d never met before. Now we’ve made lifelong friends. The family partners assigned to us showed us such selfless, Christlike love all week long. My husband and I were able to focus on each other and our family and have a “normal” family vacation since there were so many helping hands ready to step in and assist us with our very active, medically complex twins.
Our boys were on cloud nine as they made new friends and came out of their shells. Seeing the smiles on their faces and their excitement as they saw and tried new things—like playing in the ocean for the first time—is something we’ll always treasure.
If you are a family living through childhood cancer, I highly recommend applying to go on an LFR trip. If you know a family living through childhood cancer, please send them this info! If you’ve ever considered going on a domestic service trip, seriously think about volunteering with Lighthouse Family Retreat. If you’re ever looking for a worthy charity to donate to, keep LFR in mind. You won’t regret any of these decisions.
Do you know of any other non-profits that offer retreats for families living through childhood cancer? I’d love to compile a list for future families!
We’ve all heard the phrase “every parent’s worst nightmare”. It’s often spoken in hushed disbelief surrounding moments of trauma. Every parent fears ever being told that their child has cancer. It’s a fear we all have, but no one ever expects it to actually happen …
