Happy Halloween!

I know we are adults and we do not have kids yet, but Trevor and I always take full advantage of the holidays for fun! This weekend we went to Hickory Nut Gap Farms to run through the corn maze and do a little pumpkin pickin'!

We weren't sure where the corn maze was supposed to end up, so once we caught sight of the pumpkin patch, we ditched the maze (but not before snapping a few shots).

While in the maze, we came across these beautiful berries. I don't know what they are, but they looked like jewels in the sunlight.

They sky was beautiful and the farm fields were picture perfect.

Here's Trev with two of our pumpkins. Then it was time to go home and start carving!

Here's the pumkins before the carving, and then Trev concentrating on his masterpiece.

TA-DAA!

We have our pumpkins proudly displayed on our balcony.

We wish you all a safe and happy Halloween!!

Meet Gracie

Well, now we have a cat. We would like you all to meet Gracie!

So, this is how Gracie came to be a part of the family. About six weeks ago we were sitting in our living room when I started hearing a kitten meowing. We don't see many animals around our apartment complex, so it was definitely out of the ordinary to hear what seemed to be a kitten right outside our sliding glass door. I went outside to check it out, and low and behold there was Gracie. She was tiny and although she had a flea collar on she had no tags. As soon as I walked outside, she ran over to me and jumped in my lap. She was so sweet! So I brought her in and gave her some water and milk.


We had plans that day, so when it was time for us to leave we put her out on our patio. We figured she would find her way home (or her family would find her), and if not we would figure out what to do with her. When we returned home, she was gone. But...


Later that evening, I started hearing her cry again. I was outside looking for her when the guy who lives upstairs brought her down. He had her out on his patio and was out checking on her when he heard me calling for her. He said the manager (who lives across the breezeway) found her and asked him to take care of her. Because he lives on the second floor he didn't feel she would be safe staying with him, as he was worried she might try to jump off the balcony. So, he asked if we would take her. And we did.


At that point, we were thinking, "What are going to do with this cat?" We put fliers up all over the complex hoping that her owners would identify her. We even called PetCo, thinking they would be able to help since they do animal adoptions. As it turns out, all of their adoptions are handled through an organization called TAG, which we called. A week later, the lady from TAG called us back and informed us that they work on a foster care system. They ask the people who find the animal to be the foster owners until they can (eventually) find a suitable home. We had her put our name on the list.


Two weeks later, we hadn't heard anything. At this point, we were attached to this cutie pie. So, now she is officially ours. She's been a lot of fun and defnintely keeps us entertained. I have never been a cat person, in fact I have always had allergic reactions to cats! But Gracie doesn't make me sneeze! And she is the most affectionate cat I have ever met. She loves to cuddle! And as you can see, she feels right at home.

Gracie Lu (that's her full name) is growing like a weed! We think she had doubled in size!


She loves to play in my Green grociery bags and sleep in front of the warm fire.

Taz and Tanner haven't met her yet, but we are sure that they will grow as fond of her as we have. She's a cutie patootie, and I am glad she found a safe and happy home with us!

An Evening Cruise

We spent the weekend before my birthday in Alabama with my parents. It was a great and relaxing trip that we finished with my favorite thing... an evening cruise on the boat. I don't know what it is, but being out on the water at night is just about the most relaxing thing in the world. After dinner, we all headed to the lake. It was a beautiful sunset!

We got to take a dip... and the water was SO warm!

And of course all of the family was with me to enjoy my birthday evening cruise.

New Posts to Come

I just want to let everyone know that we are still here! I am just getting over being quite sick, so as soon as I am up and running again I will have several new posts for you all to see. Thank you for checking up on us, we will fill you all in soon.

Grandfather Mountain, Part II

Trevor and I first visited Grandfather Mountain in the fall of last year. Despite the fact that the weather was freezing cold (with the windchill, I think it was 8 degrees) and windier than anything I have ever experienced (gusts at the peak reached 80 miles per hour), we had a great time and vowed to return. This time around, we went while it was still summer! It was a beautiful day... the temperature was in the low 60s which was perfect for hiking, and the wind was enough to keep you cool and remind you that you are high!

We walked up the Blue Trail, which is a lovely path (as you can see below) with occasional rocks to climb and ladders to traverse. Along the way, the scenery is breath taking. I am so glad we got to see it while everything is still green.

The lovely Blue Trail:

Trevor manned the video camera while I took the still shots:
We were just nearing the peak when my phone rang. So, I stood at the top of a mountain and talked to my mom!
This picture was taken near the peak. We stopped here and ate lunch, and then we just took in the view.
At the top of McCrae peak we met a young couple visiting from Charleston, South Carolina. We took a picture of the two of them, and they returned the favor. It was a little windy, but the view was spectacular!
On the way down, we opted to take the Yellow Trail. This trail, while beautiful, was... well... it was brutal! There was no nice path. It was a mile and a half of rocks, boulders, and enormous networks of tree roots. And everything was wet and slippery. I can truly say that we climbed our way down that mountain! This is what the Yellow Trail looks like... notice the little yellow mark on the rock just right of the the center of the picture, that's what we had to look for to find our way out.Along the way, I kind of felt like Dorothy walking through the spooky forest on the way to Oz. There were dark, damp caverns:
And weird little trees growing out of huge faces of rock.

In the end we had throbbing knees and wobbly legs... and we can't wait to go back again!

An East Coast Meeting with West Coast Family

A few weekends ago, I, Trev, my mom, and my dad drove to Charlotte, North Carolina to visit with some family. My closest cousin, Cassandra, and her partner, Dayna, flew out from San Diego to visit Dayna's parents. It was a great visit! It had been over a year since I had seen them. Cassandra and I grew up very close; we had a love-hate relationship when we were younger, but I love her to pieces and consider her the closest thing I have to a sister. I have to admit, it was a little strange to be on the east coast visiting with my family from out west!

Here's the three of us:

Thank you to Dayna's family for their kind hospitality. I can't wait to see you guys again soon!

What am I doing?!?

I think we all know that strange things happen while we are sleeping. We toss and turn, and dreams can make us wake up laughing, crying, or scared out of our minds. But get this... two mornings in a row I have awaken to discover that in the course of the night I have take the pillow case off of my pillow! I sleep with three pillows, all of which are very different. Yet, the case has been removed from the same pillow the last two nights. Plus, I sleep on my back most of the night which means I have to sit up, turn around, grab the specific pillow, remove its case, and then place it back under my head. What am I doing? It's very strange. Trevor insists he is not involved... but I can't help but imagine him pulling it off and out from under my head really quick - kind of like the trick where you yank the table cloth off without disturbing any of the dishes. We'll see what happens tonight!