Camping in the mountains!

Before Matt got sent to Iraq, we had invested in a new tent and equipment but it took us 2 years to finally get to use it. We traveled to the mountains for the weekend to Grandfather Mountain. The weather was a bit chilly with close to freezing in the evenings and around 50 during the day.


It was Maggie's first camping trip with us as well and she did very well. She loved the freedom of romping around the hiking trails and campsite. She was our little guard dog making sure we knew about every noise and person that was in our vicinity.
After a day of hiking, Maggie chose to go to bed before us. She asked for the tent to be unzipped so she could go to bed.


At the peak of Grandfather Mountain (6000 feet), the temperature was extremely cold and windy. It was hard to really enjoy the expansive view since we didn't tolerate the cold weather very well.



Maggie and Matt leading us down the path and up the Mountain!


Pictures of our campsite:



Brynn and Dan...this picture is for you!! "Matt on a stick"...again!





It was finally nice to get away on a much needed and anticipated camping trip. One of the many reasons we liked NC was for the great hiking and camping and can't wait to explore more opportunities...but that will wait for the warmer weather. Can't put into words how beautiful it was in the mountains and how blessed we are to have them close by.

Caution: Wet Paint!

It has already been a year since we have moved to Charlotte and the time has flown. It has been my fall project to finally start putting some color on our stark white walls. Today I tackled the living room.

I had a few helpers...or hindrances. Maggie found the plastic drop cloth a blast to roll around on and hear it crinkle.


Jack hid UNDER the plastic drape trying to stay out of Maggie's tantrum and ...


Abby was an onlooker that competed with me for the ladder.

Below is the finished project. Due to taking the picture with my flash at night, it looks like two different colors on the walls, but it is all the same on all 4 walls.

We will start on the dining room, kitchen and foyer next..and hopefully by next year we'll be completed :)

Labor Day

We had a wonderful Labor Day that started with our friends from Virginia (Marty, Amy and baby Avery) coming to visit us for the weekend. We neglected to get photos of their visit...oops...but have photos of the rest of our weekend adventures.

On Monday, we made our way up north to Stone Mountain, NC. It was absolutely stunning and reaffirmed why we love NC so much.

This is us at the bottom of Stone Mountain...



And this is us at the top!!




Maggie enjoyed cooling off at the bottom of the Stone Mountain Falls.
LAKE WYLIE!!! On Sunday afternoon we were invited to a lake house on Lake Wylie where we took Maggie and Holden (Maggie's little friend we were watching for the weekend).
Many others brought their dogs for the cookout at the lake so Maggie had plenty of friends with which to play. Maggie was a big swimmer and paddled around the lake quite well. She loved the water although getting her to jump off the dock was quite the ordeal.


The weekend was a lot of fun and much of what we needed. We are gradually getting out to experience all the great things NC has to offer! We were supposed to go to the beach this upcoming weekend but Hurricane Hannah is going to put a halt to those plans. Better safe than sorry!

The Razor Found Another Culprit

Poor Jack...Being compliant doesn't pay off :) He got shaved down today. Normally you have to sedate cats to shave them, but he is so sweet, he kindly let us butcher his hair cut for the sake of less shedding and hairballs.


Matt showing off the fruits of his labor.

And the remnants of Jack on the ground.

Relaxation of the Ocean

This past weekend, Matt and I were really needing a vacation and time for relaxation amidst all that was going on with us in North Carolina. So we traveled to Fernandina Beach, Florida and stayed with some friends. We spent the time at the beach and deep sea fishing.




On Saturday we went deep sea fishing. Matt planned this for me since I had been wanting to do this for quite some time. The water temperature of the ocean was 10 degrees below normal which didn't make fishing overly successful...and that is not just an excuse :)

You first start out fishing for the bait to be used to reel in the big fish! That was probably the most fun for us girls. You caught up to 5 fish at a time on one cast and they were all manageable. Once we hooked the bait fish, they were tossed in a basin of water to keep alive for bait. In the pictures you'll see a squid. We hooked about 5 of those. Quite impressive.


The trip was organized by Jared, a good friend of ours. We enjoyed the adventure with him and his wife, Carolina. Carolina caught a nice large snapper and reeled it in on her own.

Jared, below, with a nice grouper that after hours of fishing we were really glad to obtain.


Matt and I, on the other hand, didn't seem to reel in much of the big stuff. We specialized in sea bass. They actually became quite annoying by taking our fish and leaving no room for the snapper and grouper we were hoping for.

Matt did find his niche reeling in a barracuda. The teeth were quite daunting which is why the big hook had to be used to bring it into the boat.


The sunrise was utterly amazing. It really set the stage for a wonderful trip.


We had an outstanding trip that really helped us relax. We are so thankful for all those that helped make it possible.