It's been a while! We had a pretty busy end to the month of October, so I'm hoping November will slow down a little bit. Somehow I don't think that will happen though!
We had a fun time at the Tennessee game a couple of weekends ago. We met up with Ashley and Seth for a little while, and then we headed to Jason's tailgate. We didn't get to see anybody when we were in town for the Kent State game, so we were glad to have some time to see our friends and walk around campus before the game.
Mikayla, Katie, Jason, Alisha, Tyler, me, and Travis before the game
Newlyweds!
:)
The game was fun...or, at least the 2nd half was! We sat in my parents' seats, which are in the north end zone on the right side. We were literally right across the aisle from the Tennessee band, so by the end of the game I was ready to never hear "Rocky Top" ever again. I wish I'd taken some ear plugs!! :)
Last week was a short work week before we headed to Hearthstone Lodge on Thursday to meet Ashley and Seth for a 2 night getaway. Hearthstone is the same bed and breakfast we went in August 2010, so we were very excited to go back. (You can read about our trip last year here). This year, everything was even more beautiful with the leaves changing outside and the cooler weather. The breakfast lived up to last year's, which was what I was looking forward to most!
Friday night, we ate supper at Charlie's, an Italian restaurant that we ate at last year. It was as good as we remembered!
Ashley and Seth after supper
Us
We had to get a picture in the big red chair!
The guys weren't as excited...haha
We stayed in the Jonagold room again this year, and we loved it. Next time we go back, we'll have to try out one of the other rooms though...
Our room for the weekend
After supper Friday night, we played Settlers of Catan for several hours and ended up staying up way too late! Travis won that game. Saturday, we ate a big breakfast and then played Settlers again for a while.
Yummy fruit!!
The main course...an omelet, sausage, potatoes, and bread
After breakfast!
View of part of the back porch
Ashley loves Lori, their dog!!
Hearthstone Lodge!
I loved all of the fall decorations...
Around early afternoon on Saturday, we headed to Blue Ridge, GA, where we rode the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway to the Tennessee state line. It was a great way to see some of the beautiful fall colors in north Georgia! It was kind of rainy off and on all day, so it kind of put a damper on the day, but we still had fun!
The train
The train went alongside the Tocoa River
Pretty!
We ended up in McCaysville, GA, which borders Coppertown, TN
We ate supper at Harvest on Main in Blue Ridge before heading back to the Lodge. And, that's rain...not snow!
Saturday's breakfast was even better than Friday's! We had fruit, bacon, and french toast croissants with apples and pecans. I ate every bit of it...it was amazing!! :)
YUMMMMMMM
After breakfast we played more Settlers (yes, we're nerds!) until it was time to leave. We headed to the Red Apple Barn to get some apples and peach cider before heading out of town.
I'm going to make apple pie later this week...can't wait!
On our way out of town, we got stopped on the highway by a bunch of horses and wagons. Not sure what that was about, but it was pretty funny!
Our trip was so much fun! We can't wait to go back hopefully sometime next year. I think it's going to be hard to find a better B&B than Hearthstone!!
This Saturday is the "Game of the Century"....Alabama vs. LSU. As of right now, our plans are just to stay home and watch it on TV. Don't want to pay $1000 for tickets! I'm planning to make gumbo (our tradition for the LSU game weekend), so hopefully it will turn out good. I'm pretty nervous about the game, but if we win, I'll feel a whole lot better about the rest of the season!
Speaking of football, fantasy football is not going so well this year. I'm 2-6, probably the worst I've ever done (including the first year I played when I had no idea what I was doing!). Maybe I'll win a few more before it ends...who knows!
Mom had her 5th chemo treatment on Monday. Only 3 more to go!! This time, she started a new chemo drug, so we'll have to see if it has any different side effects. Hopefully she'll stay out of the hospital this time around! The rest of the treatments will be 3 weeks apart instead of 2, so it'll be January before she's done with chemo. That's not too far around the corner though!! :)
The kitties are getting so big! Gabby is so funny....she loves to sleep on my stomach at night. It usually doesn't wake me up when she climbs on me, until she starts purring! She purrs so loud!! They were so glad to see us when we got home from the bed and breakfast on Saturday....they were meowing and following us all over the house. Even Felix was glad to be petted...haha.
Gabby ready for soup night
Gabby thinks she's a pantry staple :)
Felix loves House Hunters!
HGTV isn't just for girls!
Love my kittens!
Ok, I guess that's enough pictures for one post! On Emily's request though, here are a few funny videos from earlier this year. We were talking about them at lunch on Sunday, and I'd deleted them from my phone, but they were on my computer. The first is of Toby last Christmas when it snowed so much. The other videos are from the car ride home from Virginia with Tyler, Alisha, and Emily. There's nothing to "see" because it was dark in the car, but the singing is priceless! :)
Ok, I'm finished...I promise!! Watching those videos made my afternoon!! :)
This summer went by so fast! Now it's time for fall weather and football season to start. We had a great time at the bed and breakfast last weekend. The day before we left, last Wednesday, Travis got sick, so I was afraid our trip would be ruined...but he slept the whole way there on Thursday and felt better by the time we got there. Yay! For our first time at a B&B, we definitely picked a good one! We didn't really know what to expect, but Pat and Phil (the owners) were really great. They were friendly but also gave us our space too. Ashley and Seth came along with us, so we got to hang out with them while we were there. Ashley has gotten big into couponing, so she brought along a gift certificate from restaurant.com to use at Shane's Rib Shack about 20 minutes away. The four of us ended up eating supper that night for about $15 total! Way to go, Ashley! Both mornings we ate a 3-course breakfast which was fantastic! I would go back just for the breakfast alone.
On Friday, we went to Amicalola Falls State Park and hiked up to the falls. Amicalola Falls is apparently the highest waterfall east of the Mississippi. It was a good way to burn off some of that breakfast. We definitely got a good workout in because my calves were sore for the next three days! The waterfall was really pretty, and the view was the top was as well.
Friday night, we ate dinner at Charlie's, an Italian restaurant in Ellijay. It was awesome! I'd say it was better than Olive Garden, and I really like Olive Garden :)
Saturday, after another big breakfast, we packed up and headed the outlet mall in Calhoun, GA. It wasn't anything special, but Ashley did find some clothes for work, and I think Seth got a shirt, so we'll consider it a success. Overall, we had a great trip, and we're definitely planning to go back!
This week has been super busy so far. We had a short gospel meeting at KSR that ended Tuesday night, then we had Andrew over for supper last night before church, and then tonight we're going to the Copelands' for supper. One night, it would be nice to stay home and do nothing, but I guess that'll have to wait until next week! Kinda related...Travis said what I cooked last night was one of the best meals I'd made in a long time! We had BBQ sandwiches, okra, steamed squash, baked beans, and apple pie a la mode. It was the first pie I think I've made since we've been married, and it turned out pretty good. We've got about 3/4 of it leftover, so I'm bringing it this weekend, Mom!
Speaking of this weekend, we're hitting the road again. Friday night after work, we're going to Trussville. Then, Saturday, we're going to the Alabama game in t-town (Roll Tide!) and then back to Trussville that night. We're planning to come back up here sometime Monday. Should be a fun weekend! Aunt Gale and Uncle Bill are coming from Richmond, and Jenn will be home too!
I'm already done with work for the week...woohoo! I worked yesterday from 11 to about 8:30 or so. Travis has tomorrow and part of Thursday left, and then it's B&B time! In case you're interested, here's where we're going--The Hearthstone Lodge in Ellijay, GA. We're super excited and ready to spend a few days with Ashley and Seth! We don't have much planned other than how long we're staying, but it'll be nice to be somewhat spontaneous and schedule-free for a change :)
Last night, Travis had dinner with Jonathan, Tiffany, and James Caldwell, but I had to miss out because I was at work. They were in town for the gospel meeting at Gooch Lane. I think Travis and I are going to go tonight...he said the lesson was really good last night.
The past two mornings have actually felt cooler outside (as in 80-something degrees...haha), so maybe fall is around the corner! I hope so!
Enough rambling...it's time for me to hit the gym. We've actually been doing some running lately after Travis gets off work. We found a nice paved bike path that's fairly flat and runs right along a stream, so we've headed out there several times. My goal (someone hold me to this, please!) is to run the Country Music Half Marathon on April 30th next year, so I'm trying to slowly get in shape. Anyone want to run it with me? Otherwise, Travis is being volunteered...haha :)
