Adventure on Abrams Falls Trail

Well my adorable parents and sweet sister came down to visit us this weekend. Since we are such an adventure driven family..ha... we decided that we needed to spend our first day together going to Smoky National Park which is about 40 miles from our house. We picked one of the most desirable hikes, Abram Falls.

These Pictures describe the first 2.5 miles of our hike to the falls.













I have no pictures for your to view of the 2.5 miles back to the car but I have some bullet points of what it involved.

1. Laying down in the middle of the trail
2. Heat Exhaustion
3. My sister and I running over 2.5 miles of trails for help (I beat her which I will never let her live down because she's the runner in the family and my husband said I have no more excuses about not being able to run so I guess it was a double edged sword)
4. Sirens
5. Multiple rangers prepared for a "carry out"
6. EMT with ambulance and Police Man

However we all did survive and recovered. Our goal was to be home at 3:00 pm and we made it home at 7:06. However we have a great story!

Last Weekend of Summer Break

Well the kiddos start school tomorrow. So I decided to spend my last weekend around the house relaxing. It ended up being a great weekend and I feel like I (we) got a lot accomplished....

I finished The Help, if you havent read it stop reading my blog and go buy yourself a copy. The movie comes out this week and I can't wait to see it!


We also did a ton of yard work. Actually Trev did most of the yard work but when the storm was rolling in I followed him with our trash can and pick up the leaves:) I decided that my favorite things in our yard are the Magnolia tree and the Crepe Myrtle trees. Next year I hope to add some hydrangeas. Just more reasons why I love the south.


Then we wrapped up the weekend by making an amazingly delicious peach pie. I got the recipe out of last month's Southern Living. I did not attempt the lattice but it turned out pretty cute. I will have to give it to Trev he made the homemade crust and we both said it was the most amazing crust we've ever had!! The mixture was a little soupy but it still tasted amazing!





Now off to bed, morning is going to be here before I know it. I am so excited to meet all my new students I'm sure I will barely sleep.

Happy Four Year Anniversary to Us!!

Happy Four Year Anniversary Love! Okay, that’s about as mushy as I will get. I am not very romantic but I so do appreciate my amazing husband. He is such an amazing godly leader of our family and I love him so much. Marriage is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done but again it’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done also.

Usually we just go out for dinner for our anniversary but this year he totally surprised me and took me horseback riding. I LOVE riding horses, as a child I rode all of the time. I mean come on I grew up in the horse capital of the world. I’m pretty sure I started riding by myself around the age of three and I stopped in middle school. However, Trev had never ridden a horse by himself (only a pony at the fair that went in a circle on a chain.) He did a great job though!

He scheduled a private ride, we were able to gallop and canter….ahh it was heaven. I love the way horses smell, I know call me crazy. I remember telling my mother as a child that I wished my room smelled like a horse barn, I know strange, now I prefer a yankee candle.

Enjoy the pictures.

Blizzard and Trev

Snowball and Me!

The horses names reminded me that I needed a Sonic treat so we stopped on the way home....I love sonic, just another reason I love living in the south:)

It's a Sister Thing!

I love my dogs. They crack me up. I just had to share:)

Perfect Pop of Pink!

I finally found bedding for my room and it's perfect. It's definitely an off white and it matches the furniture beautifully the only bad this is that it was WAY out of budget and I needed the queen size. So with a sigh I returned it to...Belk. Let me just get off on a little tangent about Belk, if you know me at all you will know that I am obsessed with Macy's. I blame it on my wedding registry. I got a Macy's card and within one month I was quickly promoted to the Platinum level, then I got married and I got demoted to the red card and Trev begged me to get rid of the card. I fought him tooth and nail (nicely of course) and I won and I got to keep the card. However now I have found Belk, their moto is Shop Modern Southern Style and they have me hooked. Okay back to my story I went to Belk to return my wonderful bedding and I found the whole set I had just purchased on sale. I made the return and repurchased exactly what I had previously purchased but in a queen. My receipt said "you saved:" $210.02!!! So now I think I can shred my Macy's card....Trev did win after all and got a Belk card:)

I've chosen to accent my room with pink one of my favorite colors. The pink palm tree picture is a signed and numbered print I got in college at an art gallery. The pink hydrangea (is a lot pinker in real life) I picked up at an Antique Mall. Then the coolest part is the sand-dollar quilt square. I got it as a Christmas present a couple years ago and let me read to you what's printed on the back:

This quilt block is from a whole quilt that "my grandmothers name" maternal grandmother made sometime in the late 1800's Her name was Harriett ________ ________ (Mrs. John ________) from ____________, ___________. Preserve the memory as well as the framed piece of quilt.

I think it's pretty stinkin' cute. Okay guests I'm ready for you! We are a perfect half way point between MI and FL!

Small Town 4th

Happy 4th of July...one day late! Trev and I have been at my parents small town for about two weeks. Being here has just reassured us why we left the city...we are small town people! I forgot what I was missing living in NOVA for the last couple years. We are so glad that we fled the area and are back in a small southern town. I've been thinking a lot about why I love the south/small town and here are the reasons why...

1. No restrictions on fireworks...we've had M80s going off in our back yard and I love it!
2. I haven't been back to my parents town for the 4th for about 4 years and I was in the parade...haha and I even drove the truck!
3. Lightening Bugs
4. Stars!
5. Riding in the back of my dad's pickup truck
5. No leash law
6. 20 cent hot dogs

I feel so blessed to have been raised where I was and I love the fact the I'm so close to my extended family, I can't get enough of them! Here are some pictures for your enjoyment. :)