Great Smoky Mountains Engagement

Some may say a long time overdue, but I finally popped the question… and Jolene said yes!  A well planned weekend in a cabin in Townsend, TN on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and a cleverly selected hike past a waterfall was all it took.

The rain held out on Saturday just long enough for me to propose and then the skies opened up and it poured for the rest of our trip.  Luckily for us, the cabin and covered deck overlooking the Little Tennessee River provided the perfect hideaway for the rest of the weekend.  Music, games, rocking away on the deck listening to the rain, and watching the forest (I was actually looking for one of the local black bears but no luck) filled our weekend escape.

The natural fog that occurs in this part of the mountain range was kind enough to cover our escape back to reality as we left on Sunday… I'm sure we'll be back soon.

I've decided some day we will own a cabin just like this one...

Nashville Country Music Half Marathon

Based on some inspiration from JR and Mike's coworker, Mike signed up for the half marathon in Nashville.  As always he went a little light on his training but that didn't stop him from finishing.  The course was fairly hilly through most of the race, but Mike still managed to finish with 1:56:29.


To make things a little more interesting it rained pretty hard for the entire race.  Lucie and I trekked through the city to try to catch Cameron and Mike at as many places as possible along the course.  While the live music and cheering was good, I bet it's a much better race in good weather.


 

Atlanta - Final Four Weekend

After receiving an invite from some friends, we drove down to Atlanta to stay at their place over the weekend of the Final Four.  We got a chance to go to outdoor concerts of Zac Brown and Muse, hit some good pubs/restaurants, and enjoy the city full of the Louisville, Michigan, Wichita State, and Syracuse fans.

Big Bracket in the CNN Center

View from our Friends' Place

We also got a chance to go a little outside of Atlanta as a group to hike Kennesaw mountain.  This area was a central point to the Atlanta campaign of the civil war as Sherman stormed through the South.  It just so happened a small company of Confederate soldiers (reenacting) were marching around the battlefield at the base of the mountain.  A pamphlet warning Jolene about ticks at the beginning of the hike had her swatting at anything that moved...

Top of Kennesaw Mountain

Rebels Reenacting

Surprise Birthday + Easter + Christmas Promise Visit (Southport, North Carolina)

Surprised?

We finally found a way to get my entire family together in Southport at the same time.  Even trying to explain how it all came together wouldn't do it justice so I won't try.  It did however allow us to fulfill a promise over Christmas to visit, celebrate a belated 65th birthday for my dad (a surprise by the way!), and the oh so allusive family Easter which hasn't happened since 2001.

The highlights of the weekend included (in no particular order):


1. Dave and Mere getting engaged on the beach!

Fire Pit Celebration

2. Family pyramid to surprise my dad for his birthday (Jolene steadying the pyramid by using the ceiling).
3. Security guard calling Dave an Ascot as we negotiated our way into the development.
4. The infamous "Bal-sucky Shrimp Phone Call" by my mom to get my dad to come home (you had to be there to understand this story but it would have made you laugh so hard it hurts).

Family Surprise Pyramid

Easter Tablecloth and Excited Family

Accidental Rock Collection

One thing that has somehow slowly happened from our travels is the creation of an inexplicable rock collection.  These now sit in a row on a shelf in our apartment and are often ignored.  Since I've been told not to talk about it and I fear that one day it may mystically disappear just as it came into existence I feel obligated to create an electronic trail to prove it existed.

1. Belize – The riverbed of a river going through a rainforest 25 miles Northwest of Belize City.

2. Egypt – The beaches of Sharm al Sheikh on the Sinai Peninsula (pink/white granite).

3. England – Northern England near the crags east of Once Brewed on the trails along Hadrian’s Wall (coal).

4. Wales – Caswell Bay “Natural Area of Beauty” (white quartz).

5. Norway – Outskirts of the town of Kirkenes, only 15 km from the Russian Border (sandstone).

6. Norway – Ridges of the mountains surrounding the fjord and city of Tromso (sandstone).

7. Scotland – The north eastern edge of Loch Lomond.

8. Scotland – From the top of Arthur’s Seat overlooking the medieval city of Edinburgh (siltstone).

9. Sweden – Beaches of Malmo close to the Twisting Torso.

SEC Basketball Tournament

One of the our favorite memories from our days in Richmond was being able to attend the CAA Basketball Tournament.  We were able to cheaply see a bunch of NCAA basketball all within walking distance of where we lived.  This is where we got to see the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams that most of the country never heard of show that they were a team that was ready to do big things as we approached the beginning of March Madness.  The Rams went onto the Final Four that year and busted just about everybody's brackets.

This year we learned that we lived within walking distance in Nashville of where the SEC Basketball Tournament was going to take place.  We ended up going to a few of the initial sets of games and both of the semifinals as well.  Jolene ended up being a big fan of the Ole Miss Rebels who went onto win it all.  She called them the werewolves for some reason but that is a more complicated story.

Chattanooga Hike

We continue to slowly venture out a little further when we get the time.  We decided to go hit another set of trails we heard about and headed South to Chattanooga.  We parked our car at Craven's House and hiked around the Western ridge and up the back of Lookout Mountain.

It actually was the toughest hike we've been on recently but the views once approaching the top were worth it.  The entire area is actually right in the middle of where the Chattanooga Campaign of the Civil War took place.

 While we went up on a pretty clear day, there are quite a few times during the year where visibility is very low and you'd be engulfed in fog.  One of the famous battles that took place  at the peak of the trail is to this day called the "Battle Above the Clouds".

Whether Jolene admits she enjoyed the history or not... the time outside of the city and the fresh air was worth it.