Roadtrip to Arkansas

M and I just returned from a lovely weekend get-away in Arkansas to celebrate my dear friend April getting' hitched! We knew that the 5+ hour drive would necessitate some time off for travel (as it's just close enough to drive, and not worth justifying a flight and car rental, IMO), so we carved out an extra day off to get some R&R and make a true vacation of the trip. I generally opt for rushing there and back to minimize time off, which is a very real consideration when your hubby is self-employed (no PTO, yo), so I was excited that we could both justify a few days away to extend the weekend. (I think the baby-on-the-way deal makes it a lot easier to say "Yes!" these days, knowing that he is portable now in a way that he'll never be again.)

We looked into hotels in and around Ozark, where the festivities would take place, but I decided to check out Airbnb to see if we could find some cutie cabins to consider. (We love us some cabins. See NorCal Road Trip, and Colorado Anniversary Trip, and Grand Canyon Anniversary Trip, which I forgot to blog about. Fail.) We were in luck, and it became tough to narrow down all the great abodes in the lovely green plains and mountains of Arkansas. (We were just over the border of Oklahoma, so I will say that the majority of the beautiful views along the way were props to OK, but even Greenwood to Ozark was silly pretty.) We ultimately opted for Best Way Cabin in Greenwood, AR, and it was exactly what the doctor ordered.

Best Way Cabin of Greenville, AR
Rent it here!

We sipped our decaf french press (we literally always travel with the french press when a cabin is involved...priorities, y'all), watched the birds outside our window every morning, breathed in the clean air and opened windows all day long, explored the quaint nearby town, and did a lot of reading, napping, and nothing. It was glorious.

Glorious goodness

Side note: you will never see this blogger snapping adorable on-the-road looks. When I travel via car, I'm usually in glorified pajamas, and my hair looks akin to a spastic nest atop my un-make-upped mug. It's not pretty, and I rely a lot on sunglasses and stretchiness. So, no dice on the roadie selfies. You're welcome. 

The wedding itself was a ton of fun and so perfectly fitting of the couple. (I love that.) We stayed for the majority of the shindig before heading back down Mulberry Mountain, past the overturned semi-truck (10 mph switchbacks on a highway just don't seem like a good match for ginormous trucks), and making the hour-plus drive back to our sweet little cabin. There's something special about a destination wedding, and the beautiful surroundings of Ozark were no exception. It was like a collective vacation to laugh and dance, surrounded by nature. Great stuff.

I am always encouraged to find great escapes that aren't more than a few hours away by car (especially since it means we can drive our own vehicles and pack snacks...which is what road trips are all about, really), and Arkansas continues to charm me more than I expected. (We went on a family trip to Hot Springs last summer, and it was just precious.)  We're also spoiled to have a beautiful lake house in the family (which is where we got married, if you recall), and I am looking forward to another long weekend away there soon.

I realize what a treat it is to get to travel and visit places that stir our affections, usually with people who we absolutely adore, and I don't take for granted any chance to see new sights, relax in the grace of someone else's hospitality, and make new memories for our family. 

It's good to be home. Always. But it's also good to explore.