Seven Falls

Trevor works for a development company called Seven Falls. They are creating an upscale housing community and Premier Arnold Palmer golf course just south of Asheville. The grounds are extensive, and as the name implies, contain many beautiful waterfalls.

The week before Thanksgiving, we had Taz and Tanner with us. It was great to share our home with them again, even if it was just for 10 days! While we had our boys with us, we decided we would go on a family hike at Seven Falls.

It was a chilly day, and with the lay of the land, there were many areas that never received direct sunlight. It made for some beautiful iced trees and iced falls!

I can't wait to see it later in the winter, with snow all around, and then again in spring when all the trees bloom and green up!

Oops

We have become quite fond of our new kitty. Gracie is curious and mischievious and so entertaining. Sometimes she has quite an attitude...

But mostly she's just a sweetheart...

So, I decided it was time to take her to the doctor for a well kitty check-up and to get her whatever immunizations she might need. They performed several blood tests that look for viruses stray cats are prone to carry. They also tested for paracites and other icky stuff. Everything came back clear. However, the doctor did find two surprising things... testicles! As it turns out, she is a BOY! Oops! So, Gracie is now Louie.

Sweet Home California!

I had the wonderful privilege of spending Halloween and the first few days of November in San Diego with my oldest and dearest friend, Amanda! It was great to be back on my old stompin' ground, driving those familiar streets and freeways, eating at some of my favorite places, and just thinking back on nearly thirty years of memories.


Amanda and I made a trip to La Jolla. We walked along the beautiful shores and finished the trip off with a visit to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory! Mmm, mmm, mmm... they have THE BEST toffee!

However, this trip was a particularly important one because I got to meet two important people. In June and July of this year, two very special baby boys came into the world, Caden and Jackson. Here they are.... Caden and Amanda:
And Jackson and Sarah:
Aren't they beautiful?!? They are both absolutely adorable.


I am so grateful to Amanda, Eric, Caden, Guiness, Tea, Marley (the dogs) Fan, Calvin (the horses), and Pudgie (the cat) for opening their home to me. Caden and I spent a lot of time cuddling:

Caden and I also shared our first visit to a sushi bar! Amanda and Eric love sushi, and I have always wanted to try but had no idea what to order or where to go (you can't be too safe when it comes to sushi!). It was a great evening, and the sushi was great... and I really loved the Monkey Ball. Look, even Caden was excited about what he was seeing:

It was an amazing trip. Next time I am hoping Trevor can join me and that we can stay longer!

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.