The Other Highlands

Hubs and I celebrate 42 years of married life this month so whoohoo! Go us!  June is busy here so we sometimes celebrate early or sometimes late, but we always mark the day in some way. It matters. 

Everyone has their own story, but in ours I can look back and see how going the distance (so to speak) has been a series of decisions, choices, moments that might feel small but when strung together add up to something big. I see marriage as a daily thing, as opposed to a one time stand-at-the-altar thing. It's daily effort. Daily intention. Daily commitment. 

Also a tremendous joy and blessing and more than a little bit sanctifying. 

Also we need Jesus who keeps the train on the track when it threatens to derail. 

This year we decided to celebrate early since I'll be helping with preschool crafts in VBS on our actual date. Our third grandson was born on our anniversary and we're going to celebrate him at the lake this year with a cousin party the week after, and Father's Day is thrown in there somewhere too.We know we have to be intentional or the day will come and go without fanfare. 

Which is okay too but, I like a little fanfare. 

We live on a lake surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains. There are loads of charming mountain towns within an easy drive from us, most about an hour or just over but our favorite is a little town on the NC line called Highlands. 

There's a famous hotel in Highlands called The Old Edwards Inn and they have a restaurant called Madisons which is also well known. Hubs has been there once for a work party, but I've wanted to try it since we moved here and an anniversary seemed like a great reason to make that happen. 

We didn't stay at Old Edwards because we brought the little brown dog with us. He's old and hasn't been feeling great lately so we booked a dog friendly hotel instead. We stayed in a place called Park On Main and if you're traveling to Highlands with your pet I highly recommend. 

The hotel is on the main drag so walking distance to all the cute shops and venues, and they've thought of absolutely everything in terms of staying with a pet. 

There was a dog bed, towel, and bowls in the room all ready for him, treats in the lobby, and of course dog decor done in a fun way. The lobby is filled with dog portraits. We had a little balcony that looked out to the back side of the hotel and the manager told us the people who'd stayed in our room before us saw a bear wander down the street there two days in a row. 

We had no such luck, but I was watching. 

We drove up to Highlands on Thursday and it was a picture perfect day weather wise. Our plan was to do a non-strenuous hike (partly the dog and partly my stupid ankle), then have lunch at our favorite lunch spot there (The Wild Thyme), then meander, take a nap, relax in the garden of the wine bar which was conveniently across the street from our hotel, and walk to Old Edwards for a late dinner (8 PM, and yes, that's late for me). 

We made the hour drive up and over the mountain from the lake to the town and went straight to the trailhead for Sunset Rock. Or Sunrise Rock depending on which direction you go. We opted for the sunset side, although it was mid-morning.

It's a gravel trail with a very gradual incline that opens up to a beautiful view of the mountains and some of the town below. 

We hung out on the rock for a short while before trekking back down, and then crossing the street to stop in the Nature Center there. 

We've come to Highlands several times but I had no idea this was even here.

There's a botanical garden just behind the center with all sorts of walking trails, a bog, a small lake, so many blooming beauties including my favorite, the lily pad- 

There were lots of butterflies and even a snapping turtle who smiled for the camera-

We walked all the way around the lake, mostly on a boardwalk path but also through some rooty woods and then got back in the car and parked in town. 

We wanted to dine outside since we had the LBD with us so we opted for our favorite lunch spot-The Wild Thyme Gourmet. The food here is so good and we sat under a very very RED umbrella which made our orders bright. 

A glass of French rosé? Yes please. 

Followed by a cup of the most delicious, delicately spiced gazpacho and then a roasted veggie sandwich for me and crab cakes for the hubs. 

We had ice cream from Kilwins which is just across the square for dessert. Georgia peach for hubs and toasted coconut with chocolate covered coconut bits mixed in for me. If coconut ice cream is on a menu I will almost always go for that. 

We wandered down the main street, went in a couple of shops, then drove the truck down to the hotel to check in. 

As I said we loved our room, how immaculate the whole place was, not to mention cute, and all the little touches. If you happen to have a Tesla they have covered charging stations in their garage. We don't but several of my neighbors do, and some read here. 

Late afternoon we walked across the street to the cute wine bar set amongst the trees there. Friends of ours at the lake know the owners so we introduced ourselves and chatted with them briefly, then sat in the Adirondacks and relaxed. 

Did I mention the weather was perfection? Bright blue skies and temps in the 70's. 

Afterwards we went back to our hotel for a little siesta. I needed to be awake to go to dinner at 8, which not gonna lie is often closer to my bed time than my meal time. 

We walked the four blocks down to Madisons and arrived a few minutes early so were  sent upstairs to The Hummingbird Bar to wait with a beverage. The service was top notch and really made an impression. I had my traditional anniversary drink-a champagne cocktail and it was yummy. 

Dinner was a treat. Hubs had let them know it was our anniversary and there were camelia petals scattered on our table. The chef sent out a sample of their pimento cheese with spicy buttermilk crackers to start, and I have already gone on the hunt for this cracker recipe. So good!! I found a copycat here (Copycat Old Edwards Inn Buttermilk Crackers) so I'll let you know how that goes. 

We ordered our entrees and a server came by and set down a dish of their blue crab dip. We told him it wasn't ours so he moved on and then our server came over with the blue crab dip and a card. 

Turns our our friends (same ones who know the wine shop owners) had called the restaurant and ordered it for us. What a sweet and thoughtful surprise! Not to mention delicious. Truly made our night and I want to pay that forward someday. 

Our meals came, I had the red grouper special with brown butter cauliflower and hubs had a NY strip with broccolini. We didn't have dessert but our server brought out a sweet small serving of a shortbread topped with a raspberry mousse and we did not say no to that. He decorated the plate himself. 

We walked back to our hotel and called it a night. 

Friday morning we enjoyed the continental breakfast included with our reservation then got on the road home. We could have stayed and done some shopping but hubs is mid-home sale for a client and there was some work being done at the buyers new house he wanted to check on. The clients are out of state and he's on top of things for them. 

We were home by 11 and I unpacked, started some laundry, then planted myself on the outdoor couch to blog and soak up the lake view. 

 Cheers to 42 and love that endures!  

Linking today with Joanne (Slices of Life) for Talking About It Tuesdays

Oh The Places We'll Go

Yesterday's Hodgepodge got me thinking about graduations and I decided to weed through one of my attic boxes for some pictures. Killing two birds with one stone so to speak...empty an album (or three) and write a blog post while I'm at it. 

Course I went down the rabbit hole pretty far and ended up sending pictures of pictures to some of my college friends and then hubs got in on it too and invited his old roommate to come for the weekend and this is how we roll. We couldn't quite make the spontaneous visit happen this weekend, but it will happen soon. 

Back to graduations...I'm not a Carolina sports fan (Go Vols!!) but I am an Eric Church fan and he gave the commencement address at UNC last weekend. I thought it was really good and worth a listen (linked here). 

I have no idea who spoke at my commencement and I have very few pictures from the day. Based on this photo it appears there was a professional photographer there (he's over my shoulder), but I guess we chose the diy route instead. 

I do know it was exciting and I did get a job, which was after all the goal. Some people say college wasn't all that useful in terms of their future employment, but in my profession it was very necessary and of course a lot of fun too.  

Remember panty hose? Remember weeding through ten pair to find one without a run? 

My parents gave me a briefcase as a graduation gift and I loved it so much. Made me feel officially adult. This was before the cute tote bag era we're in now, and you better believe I used that briefcase. I worked for a school system and in my role I traveled to more than one school so it was nice to keep all my paperwork together.  

Somewhere there's a picture of me in my cap and gown standing with my parents but it wasn't in the boxes I pulled out today. I promise they were there-ha! I found this one taken in my sister's apartment, and I'd love to know what we're saying. 

Look at the waist on those jeans! I guess it really is true, what's old is new again. 

Hubs graduated the December after my June graduation date and here I am cheering him on. That jumper was so cute. 

Also, he wasn't the hubs yet. 

Also I'm scanning actual photos which, let's be honest were not all that great to start with, but it was the 80's and we had no idea. We didn't take many pictures while in college, or at least I didn't. I have a handful and they're a real mishmash. Here's one from a date hubs and I had out hiking someplace. I couldn't say where? 

What I can say is I was definitely a natural brunette lol. 

I feel like today's generation of young women are more polished than my generation was in terms of hair/makeup/ skincare. Maybe we weren't quite as concerned with all that because we weren't photographed 37 times a day? I'm not saying we didn't care because we did love our hot rollers, but we didn't work out, drink gallons of water, or have a ten point skin care routine before going to bed at night like girls do now. 

We did have the best music though, and I'll fight you on that if necessary. 

I do have pictures from my girl's graduations, high school and college. One of my favorite pictures of my girls was taken on the day of daughter2's high school graduation-

Beauties. 

Both girls  had incredible speakers at their high school ceremonies, that's something I do remember. At Daughter1's ceremony the speaker was the first British woman to summit Mt. Everest and then later climb all seven summits. She was phenomenal. 

Plus my daughter was given the Principal's award which was a happy surprise. He said the nicest things about her. 

The speaker at Daughter2's high school graduation was a gentleman who was blind, but had accomplished much. I can't recall the details of  his story but I remember it as inspiring. 

Hubs and I still say we own some of the real estate their university sits on or at least it feels like we should. The campus is spectacular. They had photo ops before photo ops were even a thing. 

A rose garden...

Beautiful fountains...

Same fountains, another degree....

Today I'm off to see a little boy 'graduate' from Kindergarten. I know I know, it's not a true graduation, but we celebrate all the same. Marking life's milestones brings a lot of joy. 

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. 
You can steer yourself any direction you choose."~Dr. Seuss 

Weekend Chatter

Hello Monday. Can you believe next week it's March and then summer and then Christmas? A slight exaggeration maybe, but only very slight. 

We had a nice quiet low key weekend here. It felt good to be home sleeping in my own bed and catching up on things here. Friday the sun shone and it was glorious. 

Hubs and I opted for a hike in a nearby state park and the weather was perfection. 

Thermometers don't lie-

The little brown dog was along for the ride, or maybe I should say run, because we moved at a clip the first two thirds of our walk.  

I think he smelled water and was itching to get to it. There wasn't a great swimming spot so that didn't happen, but it wasn't for his lack of trying. 

If we were following the strict rules of 52 dates in 52 weeks we'd be at number 20 this week. We're at 15 and we'll take it. We had company one week, hubs was away one week, I was away one week, there were holidays in the mix, so it's all good. We make the rules, right? 

We were home for lunch and then spent the afternoon chilling aka napping and reading. We made Greek chicken bowls for dinner and they were super delish. 

I used this recipe (more or less) and the marinated chicken grilled was really good, as was the dressing drizzled on top. 

Saturday we watched Olympics, jimmy rigged an electric shade we have that's ridiculous in design, and did a lot of lounging-reading-blogging. The shade is up high and has a battery that needs recharging, not often but often enough to be annoying. Hubs has to get out the extra tall ginormous ladder to reach it, on a staircase to boot, so he came up with a solution to make it easier next time. No pictures because I was responsible for holding the ladder. He survived. 

Saturday night we had dinner plans with friends. We went to a new-to-us Italian restaurant and enjoyed every bite. They started as a pizza place but are more than that now. I could have made a meal of appetizers.  Turns out we knew the wine manager and he brought us a plate of their arancini to start which were scrumptious. Hubs and I both had their lasagne (it's somebody's grandma's recipe) and it was served in small iron skillets which made for a great presentation. Also the portions were enormous and we took half home for lunches. 

Sunday we watched as much of the hockey game as we could before church and were excited to hear the final score when we came out of the service. I saw a lot of the Olympics this time around and loved all that viewing. There were some exciting moments, some beautiful moments, some patriotic moments, and overall thought they were exceptional. 

I spent a lot of Sunday afternoon organizing a few things I'm in charge of organizing and it felt good to get that done. We tried a new recipe for dinner and it received mixed reviews. Bun-less burgers which meant a lettuce wrap in place of the bread. I used this recipe, and I liked the lettuce wrap which was less filling. Hubs wanted a bun. 

I'm joining Holly (Pink Lady Blog) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books) today for their Hello Monday blog hop. I have a busy week. Honestly the next several are full to the brim with a combination of fun, family, tasks to complete, appointments to keep, relationships to manage, and people to love. 

One of my very favorite verses was part of my last week's lenten reading in the Psalms, and it's one that helps me stay grounded when life is moving fast-

"I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalm 18:1-2

Have a great Monday everyone. 

Day Dating Episode Six

 Linking today with Talking About It Tuesdays hosted by Joanne

Welcome to Episode Six of The Dating Game. Hmmm...I like that. To catch you up, hubs and I are aiming for 52 dates in 52 weeks, and we're already a week behind because we had his momma here and leaving her home alone while we went out didn't feel right. 

We'll tack a week on at the end so all's well that end's well.  There will likely be a few more misses here and there, but if it's 52 dates in 55 weeks or 60 weeks that's okay too. It's not a test. 

If you read Monday's post then you already know we've had a lot going on here. Friday afternoon was our window and as both girls were leaving the house hubs looked at me and said, 'a nap would be nice'. Agreed. 

But the weather was glorious and we decided we'd feel better if we went out and we're both glad we did. Such a nice day! 

Daughter1 and her family had been to a nearby North Georgia town recently and seen a spectacular waterfall and a really cool museum, and we wanted to see it too, so that's where we headed. 

We left about noon and made the slightly less than one hour drive to a little town called Toccoa. Have you watched Band of Brothers? Toccoa is where Easy Company, 2nd batallion, 506th parachute infantry regiment of the 101st airborne had their basic training prior to D-Day. They're the focus of the series and their training at 'Camp Toccoa' included rigorous hikes up Currahee Mountain. It's where these soldiers became a literal band of brothers. The phrase Currahee became their motto and meant 'stand alone'. 

Hubs and I are watching the series start to finish now. The series came out in 2001, but I was unaware of the local connection until my son-in-law told us about it. 

Before going to the museum though, we had to see that waterfall. Toccoa Falls is oddly located on a small college campus. It's a 186 foot free falling waterfall, one of the tallest east of the Mississippi and it is positively stunning. The photos do not do it justice...this fall is actually higher than Niagara, but obviously not as wide or impressive. 

Still a beauty though! You drive on to the campus, park at the gift shop and pay a small entry fee, then take the short walk out to the falls. 

And there they are-

Just beautiful. 

We stood for a while, then drove into town to visit the museum (Currahee Military Museum).  I've been in a lot of WW2 related museums and this one, while small, is jam packed with so much. 

It's located at the site of the old train depot, which is where soldiers arrived before making the five mile hike to Camp Toccoa. The museum tells the story of trainees who went on to become some of the most physically fit soldiers in the army. More than 18,000 paratroopers trained here prior to and after D-Day. 

One of the best parts of the museum is an actual stable from Adlbourne England that housed paratroopers during the war. The story of how they brought it here is told too and it's really something. 

We had plans to get sushi for an early dinner back at the lake so we had about an hour to fill before heading home. We had seen a sign as we were driving around earlier for a winery and decided to check it out. Once we found it that is...GPS struggled and we went around in circles a couple of times, but eventually we got there. 

The sun was shining so we ordered a glass of wine, sat outside, and soaked it in. 

We left there and made our way back to laketown and a sushi dinner-

'Twas a great day.