when we lived in maryland, my family had two vacation homes. one was a home in cartersville, virginia (ironic since i live in cartersville now, huh?) surrounded by woods. in fact, we owned all the property surrounding it, and it was so peaceful and quiet. the other was a condo in deep creek lake, maryland. i loved that place as well. we were right on the lake, and there was absolutely no humidity. i had friends up there, and we spent most of the summer each year up there.

when we moved, we sold those houses since we wouldn’t be able to use them anymore, but i’ve missed them. now, i have joe’s parents’ cabin in blue ridge to escape to, and it just makes me want a vacation house. obviously, it would be years from now, but i’d love to buy a second place where we could go to get away. it’s amazing how much good a weekend away can do for you, especially when you go to the mountains. every time we go to blue ridge, we check out the mountain real estate and look at the homes for sale and for rent. i love the mountains. i love the quiet. i love how it’s secluded. i love the fact that it’s so relaxing we do nothing but sleep. and, while i wouldn’t want to live in blue ridge full time like joe’s parents plan to do when they retire (i *have* to be near a mall!), i love being able to go there whenever i want.

so, if i could have a second home somewhere, it would definitely be a mountain home. what about you? if you could have a vacation home anywhere, where would you pick?