well hey there, friend! i can’t believe it’s already wednesday, it’s been such a chaotic couple of days.. you know when you have the perfectly laid plans… in my nice new planner, everything looks like it should work out perfectly? enter toddlers. twin toddlers. and technology problems. and 2:00-4:00am wake-up snuggles. and sick family. and… life.
so, here we are, and my post that i was planning on publishing monday is now getting up on wednesday! normally, i’ll be honest, my weekends just aren’t that exciting, but i’m super pumped to share my getaway weekend with you all!!

if you were around friday, you saw i was on my way out the door to drop the girls off at my moms house so i could head out of town! many of you know i have had the opportunity to be a contributor for the dayton mom’s blog for a couple of months and one of the many perks is getting opportunities to explore our community and build relationships with a lot of amazing women.
this weekend combined all of the above when a group of bloggers were invited out to hocking hills for a media preview of the comfort food cruise!

you can read the full review {here} at dayton mom’s blog…. so. much. fun!!!

the whole weekend i kept saying, ‘why do i always forget this beautiful place is out here?!’ zach and i have been once together to go camping a couple of years ago for my birthday (late november… i’m not sure what we were thinking).. tent camping in freezing weather, with the dogs. we had a blast, but it was cold!! this was a totally different trip than what i’m used to and i wasn’t quite sure what to expect. i wound up having such a good time and meeting some wonderful, wonderful people!! if you have the chance, you should absolutely take full advantage of this opportunity to go cruise through the town, eat some comfort food and get out to see some beautiful scenery!!

let’s begin…

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friday

so friday i dropped the girls off at my moms and stopped by my newest favorite, jungle red salon, for a manicure and an unplanned blowout (the good kind…for my hair…)…sometimes diaper explosions and unexpected needed baths occur and mama just loses the battle… so, you better believe i used my own discount {mention TWIN PEEKS for 15% off your services through the end of jan!} before heading out of town!
after some pampering, i hopped back in the car for the two hour drive that flew by before getting into the mountains and beautiful scenery and arriving at my destination. our group stayed at Cedar Hill Lodge for the weekend and enjoyed the spacious cabin complete with our own rooms, a full kitchen, theatre room, pool table, hot tub and more.

once we were settled, we were treated to a dinner tutorial with Chef Matt from Lake Hope Lodge as he walked us through preparing a delicious meal. from start to finish we were able to chat about ohio, his restaurants, career, food preparation and also all of us bloggers! the food was served and most certainly did not disappoint. the most beautiful salad and two pasta dishes that were to die for!!

we wrapped up the evening with jams and working on the couch… which was rather hilarious.  heather over at the food hussy snapped this picture… oh the blogger life!! when we finally retired, we all crawled into our beds in our private rooms to rest up for the day ahead!

saturday

saturday was an early one and we kicked off our morning at pearl’s diner for some biscuits + gravy! it was so fun getting to chat with the beautiful soul behind the scenes and learn about her mother, pearl, who the diner was named after.

after we filled our bellies, we piled in the van to go check out some of hocking hills finest views!! we started out by going to old man’s cave and it was chillllly! we dressed warmly and got to experience the breathtaking frozen waterfalls, snow covered trails and even some stunning wildlife!! i couldn’t believe this was my first time experiencing all of this beauty, but it most certainly won’t be my last!

our next stop was ash cave where we climbed through the caves and explored the trails a little more. i think this one was my favorite with the caves we could climb through, breathtaking waterfalls and the view from inside the caves! just a little bump + frozen waterfalls!

after warming back up and burning all that energy, we were ready for a nice warm lunch at the olde dutch restaurant! known for their chicken + noodles, we filled our tummies yet again and you know i couldn’t pass up a pie bar with ice cream!!

with some time to explore, we stopped by the antique mall before making our way to nelsonville, a quaint little town in athens. our first stop was the nelsonville emporium where we got to learn how to make pottery and shop for local handmade art, foods and gifts! i even got to try out my rusty hand..check out that lopsided cereal bowl!!
as we explored a little more, we found the perfect little coffee shop, full brooks cafe, for a little pick me up before heading to our next stop.

the next stop for us was dinner at the boot factory grill known for their bison burger and prime rib sliders which you can enjoy on the cruise. when you’ve taken our bibs off, you can shop Rocky Boot’s for any other gifts you may need!

before heading home, we made one last stop at the hocking hills winery  where everyone enjoyed live music, the flights of wine and this preggo enjoyed a delicious caramel apple! everyone raved about their wine slushies and i for one, can’t waaaaait to go back for some tastings!! summer get away? i think so!!

when we finally made our way back home, we all climbed into our jams and enjoyed a movie night in the theatre room watching how to lose a guy in 10 days..hello girls night! i mean this is doing it right, friends… reclining chairs and a theatre sized screen… sign me up!! we eventually called it a night and tucked ourselves under for a final night’s rest.

sunday

sunday morning came way too fast and i was super excited to be headed out the door to our final stop for some coffee! we made the quick drive to the inn & spa at cedar falls and i quickly fell in love. i was swooning over the beautiful restaurant, fireside room and ambience.  we ordered off the menu and i chose the biscuits + gravy… and quite possibly the best i’ve ever had! chef anthony came out to introduce himself and no one had anything negative to say about all of the deliciousness. i, for one, couldn’t get enough of the adorable coffee and creamer mugs!! we got a tour of the rest of the property and let me tell you… i’m already day dreaming my next visit!! babymoon, maybe?! not only do they have the trails , cabins, cottages and food, but they also have a spa where you can pamper yourself with a couples massage, facial and even a prenatal massage!! you literally wouldn’t have to leave the property but to hike and you could stay for days!!

we finally got all packed up and said our good byes… we had the best time!!

if you’re interested in learning more about the comfort food cruise, head on over to dayton moms blog!! you for sure don’t want to miss it!!

if you’d like to learn more about the other wonderful bloggers i had the privilege to meet, check them out below!!

mary at the fervent foodie
heather at ohio girl travels
tonya at the traveling praters
heather at the food hussy
rebecca at eating books

**a special thanks to Dayton Moms Blog and Hocking Hills Tourism Association for the opportunity to attend such a special and fun event!!**

i hope you have had a fantastic week so far and maybe even enjoying some warmer temps??

xoxo,

lindsey