On the road again (and again and again)

Is it possible that in just 2 weeks time I could have visited seven places? Yes, apparently it is! North Carolina, Virginia, Birmingham, Nashville, Athens, Birmingham (again), and South Carolina--all in 15 days! It's been a bit of a whirlwind around here...working full time, preparing for 2 online classes, and just the day to day activities in addition to the travels. It's all been fun, though, and I am thankful for this season of life where I am able to come and go with ease.

I've already caught up on North Carolina, Virginia, and first trip to Birmingham, so let's pick up with the Nashville trip. Here we are in Nashville on a little scouting trip to locate a rehearsal dinner venue for my brother's wedding in January:

 Two days later it was off to Athens, GA, where we shipped this little girl off to college. I can not believe that my baby sister is all grown up! My mom and I cried all the way home from moving her in! We will miss her, but are excited for her new opportunity to learn and grow.

 Sweet girl, we will miss you!

 Had I known what exactly I would be doing when I volunteered to help her move into the dorm, I might not have so eagerly volunteered. See this huge hill? Yes, that was the hill that we had to push industrial sized buckets up and down as we moved all of her stuff (and carried a futon up it too!). Did I mention that it was raining?! No big deal, right?! It was a mess and quite a workout. Fun times as a big sister! :)

 Whew! Hauling a load with sis:

 Her cute little dorm room. She and her roomie ordered matching bedding with monogrammed pillows:

 Home for 2 days, then off to Birmingham again to babysit my cutie pies:

 Watching Thomas the Train on the ipad:

 Home for 4 days and then off to South Carolina to hang out with these cuties! These three musketeers belong to my best friend and her husband. Rena Carolyn's husband was in his brother's wedding, so I went along as the "nanny" to be an extra set of hands for the weekend. It was tons of fun...never a dull moment!

 Playing dress up in her mommy's jewelry while her hair curled:

 Having fun in Ruthie's room while their mommy and daddy got ready...

 Aren't they precious?

 Sweet boy! Charlie and I got to spend a lot of quality time together...

 Baby Elsie (just 8 weeks old!). She was such a trooper the whole weekend!

 Wedding day! Bonnie Ann was the flower girl. Giving Uncle Will some sugar:

 Pretty mommy and little boy (RC's mother-in-law made all three of the children's outfits! She is so talented!)

 Bonnie Ann with her pretty Aunt Katie:

 All ready to be the flower girl:

 Sweet moments:

 Cute!

 Family picture with the groom:

 The happy couple:

It was an amazing wedding and reception, and I am sorry that I didn't get more pictures, but my hands were a little full! ;) 

Life is full right now, but so many sweet memories!

And then he was three...

Where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday when I became an aunt for the first time and held this precious bundle in my arms:

 And now, he has grown into such a fine young man who turned 3 years old this week!

 My parents and Kathryn and I drove down to Birmingham for the party last weekend. Here is the birthday family:

 Mommy and her little boy:

 It was such a fun party! Take a backyard like this:

 Add a few friends:

 And fun times:

 Driving around:

 Add some cake:

 And icecream!

 And enjoy visiting with friends:

Throw in some extra fun birthday presents:

 And lots of hugs from family:

  

And you'll end up with a splashing good time! We love you, buddy, and pray that God will continue to shape you as you grow into the man of God you were designed to be!

The one about a grand adventure...

"Adventure is worthwhile in itself"--Amelia Earhart

"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has courage to lose sight of the shore"--Gide

I have some amazing friends in my life! Friends who inspire me to try new things, who inspire me to pursue grand adventures:

 These are two of my most adventurous friend, Meredith and Matt. Awesome husband and wife team, drawn to the adventurous outdoors, and talented in many areas. This summer they have been guiding on the French Broad river in North Carolina.

 "The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the uttermost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience"--Roosevelt
These friends encourage me to reach out for those newer and richer experiences in my life...so they graciously invited me to North Carolina.

 Wednesday morning, Meredith and I left well before the crack of dawn to drive to Marshall, North Carolina where we caught the early morning shuttle to the river. Here we are all ready to go:

  We paddled down the river and pulled off to explore a little island. We had to cross a little patch of river, helped by our strong guide!

 "I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to it laughing"--Herman Melville
And that is what I did the whole way across! Laughing at the grand adventure that I was on!

 And...made it across:

 We were well rewarded with this view:

And this one:

Further downstream, we pulled off again and took a short hike through this "jungle." 

 "Guiding" the raft as my instructors told me what to do!

 Such a fun trip!

 Amazing views, exhilarating rapids!

 So thankful for our friendship:

 The beauty of God's creation and His power displayed in the majesty of the surroundings:

 After our rafting trip, we spent some time in the towns close by--had some lunch, visited a coffee shop, and wandered around a local store (part of the walk through the town was on the Appalachian Trail)
Wednesday night, we made reservations at the Hot Springs spa...we soaked in the "healing waters" under the canopy of a tin roof, listening to the sounds of nature, and laughing a lot too!

 Out in the woods...naturally hot mineral water being pumped in and out of the tub:

 Thursday morning Meredith and I got up and drove to Damascus, Virginia where we rented mountain bikes and took the shuttle up to the top of White Top mountain where we biked down the Virginia Creeper Trail:

 My fearless leader:

 At the start, all ready to saddle up on our mountain bikes. (yes, I am wearing a helmet! Working in the ER has taught me a few important lessons! :) I couldn't convince Meredith to match me! :)
I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this experience on the trail!  It was pretty much downhill most of the 17 miles that we road, and the beauty that surrounded us was just breathtaking! (pretty sure that I squealed a couple of times just because it was so amazing! :)

 There were tons of Christmas tree farms in the area, so of course I had to get a picture of one in memory of the old family business!

 For part of the journey, we were on the AT. I have to admit that I am fascinated by the AT...can't really explain it, but there is something about it that really intrigues me!

 Since the trail was an old train track that has been converted to a trail, there were plenty of train trestles to cross along the way:

 Beautiful!

 Most of the way, we were riding along the White Top Laurel creek...so relaxing to be riding along with the sounds of the creek in the background:

 I am already planning a return trip someday (I would love to do all 34 miles from White Top to Abingdon!)

 We didn't have enough time to ride all the way to Abingdon, so we stopped in Damascus to have lunch and return our bikes. The guy at the rental place recommended that we eat at a restaurant called "Hey Joe's." While we were there, we met some new friends. :) These two very fit, handsome guys who were biking across America from LA to NY. We noticed them at a table next to us all decked out in their biking gear, and I couldn't help asking where they were from and where they were going. The guy standing next to me is from England! How awesome is that!? I found their story so inspiring, that Meredith and I decided that I needed my picture made with them for the blog! They were kind enough to oblige! I haven't stopped thinking about what an amazing accomplishment it would be to do something like that...who knows, maybe I will have the opportunity to try it for myself some day!

After visiting some friends of Meredith's and touring her old college campus, we headed back home. What an amazing, eventful, whirlwind of a trip. I am so thankful for the experiences that I had, and look forward to many more! Who knows what other adventures this short little trip might spark in my life! :)  I am awed by the vastness and beauty of the world God has made, and want to experience it to the fullest!

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."--Mark Twain