Graveyard Hills, Black Balsam and an uncooperative rain fly...

This past weekend, Dan and I had the wonderful weekend off and we headed to the Blue Ridge mountains for some H&R (hiking and relaxation, of course!).  We spent the night out in the rain, which was a peaceful serenade (only after we about screamed at the darn rain fly that we couldn't figure out on our tent!).  Now we know what we'll need for our next hiking trip and we're making a list!  When we met, we both shared a love for the outdoors (and it wasn't just a front to please the other person!) ...and we've kept our passions alive by always spending as much free time outside as possible.  Maybe one day, we'll live near Asheville where we can have these hills in our yard!

A gorgeous view from Black Balsam Knob!  We hiked so high, we were in the clouds!

Bauer channeled his inner Weimaraner and chased as many birds as possible...

This pic above reminded us of Katie's pics of Ireland!  The fog, the grassy meadow, just a few hours away!!! Just beautiful!

Here we are, in front of our tent...it was pretty rugged and muddy!  

We stayed somewhere near the shadow in this picture, along the river...  Though it was probably too cold to bathe! This area is post #420 on the Blue Ridge Parkway and its called "Graveyard Hills" because the trees were scattered in neat patterns like grave-posts.

We want to invite anyone to come join us on our next adventure...which is to hike and camp on the top of Black Balsam Knob!

Happy Birthday Rebecca!

Happy Birthday Rebecca!

Yeah for a NEW CHAPTER in your life!  The future is looking promising!  (watch out Janeane Garofalo...) Today is my eldest sister's birthday. She means a whole-stinkin' lot to me so posting a long list of her attributes wouldnt justify her talent, skills, intelligence, passion and personality... so, I'll just tell her I love her and that will be that! 

Signs of Spring, Part 1

Even though spring already officially started a month ago, we are experiencing our new signs of life now. Mamma Haller will be proud to know that your mini Redbud trees you carefully transplanted (literally!) from Ohio are thriving! This is the smallest of the three and is doing very well in the Carolina soil.

The next bit of news is the "secret" we've been keeping from the family...and no it's not a baby...it's baby veggies! That's right, we have completed our garden. As you can see, we started with awful grass and rocky, clay-filled soil. Luckily, the woods behind our house is/are?? (Jenny and I can't figure out with which tense is correct...mom, some help!?) thriving with boulders. They were super heavy and it took roughly 8 hours to build the perimeter and [attempt to] till up the soil.


We began with three herb pots, which include basil, thyme, chives, parsley, cilantro and bee balm! Then we picked up some organic compost from a recycling center (saved tons of money!) and some top soil from Lowes. We were blessed to have our friends' truck, which we backed right up to the garden to make things easier. Then we filled the bed, planted the seeds and plants, and watered everything. The garden is located in the back right corner of our yard, along the neighbor's yard and the woods. It's roughly 8ft x 8ft.

The herbs are on the corners and in the back right corner we have a blueberry bush! We planted rows of: peppers, squash, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, cabbage, kale, collard greens, and romaine lettuce! There also may be some daisies that bloom in late summer. It was a long but fun process, and we're very excited to reap what we sowed (haha)!

Soon to come...tomato stakes, overwhelming mint, rabbit protection, painted signs, and lots of veggies!

My heart is happy! Part 2

We went to the Zoo!  It was a cold day but the animals were out and they were beautiful!  Lions, Giraffes, Elephants, Orangutans, Baby Pandas and more!  Our camera died mid trip so, I used Mom's camera the rest of the day; but here are some of our pictures!

These lions were so beautiful!

My favorite animal, hands down: the giraffe.

Zachy loooved the zoo! He got so excited about all the animals and his joy was contagious!

Allie Marie and Grandpa!  Super cute!

Look at that face!  On the way home from Atlanta, Dan was talking about the trip and we were discussing the family etc.... he said, "Gosh, Allie is just so cute!" and went on and on about her! :):)