Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Piney Falls
In Grandview, TN off hwy 68 South going toward Spring City. A relatively short hike, easy with just a few steep spots (especially to get this shot) Perfect way to spend a 65 degree weather Sunday morning. Back home before noon to take on the rest of the day!
I would love to go back with a camera that I can adjust the ISO settings on to get a different effect from the waterfall. My little powershot is great, but not all I would want from scenery like this.
I would love to go back with a camera that I can adjust the ISO settings on to get a different effect from the waterfall. My little powershot is great, but not all I would want from scenery like this.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Fall is definitely here
Well school is in full swing! The boys have had their first full week, and it's gone ok. T already had his first test, and has a paper due on Monday. He's realized that 7th grade is serious business. He says he doesn't like school and it's boring, but he is a good student. I am grateful for that. H had a rocky start this week.. with missing 4 homework assignments, he lost all his free passes for late assignments. Which means the next time he gets detention. This is a new school and not knowing the procedures, he got a free pass with the 4th one (but a call home to talk to me about it) so now we're going to really have to stay on top of things and be in better communication with school. H is really good at "forgetting" stuff, like homework, until it's too late, so as long as I know what he's supposed to be doing, I can keep on top of it. A seems to be doing well. Still needs work on his handwriting, but in my opinion, what 3rd grade BOY doesn't? I really want to try to help him on that at home. I know he can write neater if he just slows down some. Apparently he doesn't like riding the bus, it's a little crowded and hard to find a seat when he gets on, and the bus driver got onto him.. he just needs to be a little faster getting settled when he gets on there. The first week of school always seems so hard getting back into the swing of things, especially at a new school where everything is so unfamiliar.
Our week of practices with fall sports was busy. 2 practices on Monday, and then a practice (either football or soccer) on each of the other days of the week. Skip Wednesday because of Youth Group.. and Saturday games. Not to mention homework, dinner, showers, and if we're lucky, time to read together before bed. I try to enjoy the moments now, but I will be glad when the schedule eases up in November. Today's games went pretty well. T's soccer game was pretty good.. our team was making mistakes all over the place, but they played well together and played hard. T really played his heart out!
H's games went well. Today was Jamboree day where all the conference teams come up to Crossville to play 2 short games. 8 plays on offense, 8 plays on defense games. A preview to the season, if you will. H's team won both of their games, with all 3 of the touchdowns being scored by the Cortland Finnegan (scrappiness) /Chris Johnson (speed wise) of our team. That kid is so athletic! He was on H's basketball team the one season he played, and was the star of that team as well. H and his teammates were so pumped at the end of the 2nd game (the only one I saw, since T's soccer game was going on before the first football game, couldn't be 2 places at once). A few shots from that game (the last one is my favorite)
Me and my sports players:
and preseason Titans football games have begun! We got to go see the first home preseason game at LP Field.. had so much fun. Yeah so our seats were 6th row from the top, I didn't care. Loved being there and had the best time with Mike!
The weather has been cooler today, which is giving me the itch to get out in the woods again. We don't like to hike when it's hot. I miss it! I think we're going to get out there early tomorrow. Stay tuned for pics. I just love East TN scenery. L-O-V-E it.
Friday, August 7, 2009
It's that time again!
School is about to start. A week from today in fact, is the first full day. The boys are starting a new school this year (it's closer to home). It wasn't an easy decision for me to make, I really liked the school they were at before...but I think it will be a positive change for them. The new school is a good one, I've heard lots of great things about it so I'm excited.
T only has 2 more years of middle school before he's in High School. That is really unbelievable to me when I think about it. Seems as though it was just yesterday I was holding him as a newborn in my arms, and now he's almost as tall as me. He's pretty proud of that fact, though as my mom and I joke with him "it really isn't *that* tall" ;) What a smart and funny kid he is! I really want to encourage him to try to figure out what he wants to study in college. Get serious about school while he still can, and not have bad study habits in school like I did. I look forward to the homework time after school this year (sounds crazy maybe.. but it's true) Soccer is starting again and he is playing once again this year. I'm really excited for him. He has a new coach this year, and the U-13 level is new to him as well. It should be a fun year playing on a bigger field and learning new moves. My soccer star once again :)
H is going into 5th grade and like his brother, it's unbelievable to me that we're at this age with him. He is really growing up to be a great kid. He's always been.... challenging to say the least, but always a sweetheart when it comes down to it. He's still my strong willed one: when he has his mind set on something, it's very difficult to change his mind. His imagination and interest in drama, music, etc is impressive. He loves to sing. And boy does that kid LOVE to argue! If he was convinced that he could fly we'd be in trouble. I can't decide if he should be an actor or a lawyer. Maybe he will be both :) He is playing football for the first time this year, and the practices started out a little rocky with him ready to quit the first day of hard hitting in pads, but after some talking to from us and from his dad, he gave it another shot and the next couple days weren't as bad. He is getting the hang of how to "hit from behind his pads". I love seeing the enthusiasm and excitement on his face. Football seems to be just what he needs to get his energy out. Good thing too, he has a lot of it!
A is going into 3rd this year. My baby! He's still "the baby" in so many ways, but at the same time he's also growing into such a great young man. He's very kind spirited and always looking out for others and concerned for their feelings. I love that about him! He tells me all the time how he wants to be a massage therapist when he gets older, and he will hire me to work in his shop. I love it :) Such a sweet sweet boy. I don't want to baby him though. You can really tell that he looks up to his brothers and wants to do everything they are able to do. He's not playing a sport this year, but he's already tried on H's football gear and says he wants to play next year. I was at first against football (mainly because of the conflict it'd cause with soccer) but I don't feel that way anymore. I'm glad they are excited about something! The schedule might get hectic and we may not get to see every boy's game.. if only we could clone ourselves!
This week has been a WONDERFUL week at work, although busy.. well that is why it's wonderful really. I'm glad. After being gone a lot during our wedding planning, the wedding, and then a week on vacation I needed the money to make up for the missing time. Busy days at work & school, then running kids here and there for sports.. yep.. fall is definitely upon us again! Once school starts I hope I am able to keep everything straight. Thanks to Google calendar I should. More and more I am realizing that I do need a Blackberry to sync up with it because I can't carry my laptop around everywhere I go.. just not feasible. My contract is almost up so I can upgrade w/out paying out the arse for one! Yay for that! :)
Well it's the end of the day on a Friday night, at the end of a busy week. I'm so ready for some downtime. Night night blog world :) Gonna go snuggle up with my favorite person now! *grins*
The rest of the story.. (Honeymoon Journal)
Tuesday July 21st, 2009 (Jen)
We ate breakfast at the condo, then drove to Van Buren state park and scoped out the beach there. Took off our shoes and walked down to where the sign stated "Private Property" before you reach the Nuclear Power Plant. The South Haven Lighthouse looks so tiny from there! Walked back to the jeep, then went to the store for a few supplies for our beach trip tomorrow (thinking Oval Beach). Came back to the condo, made lunch and packed the cooler, ate lunch on the deck. Sandwiches, chips, apples, pickles and beer. Weather could not have been more perfect! Came back up to condo and took a 2 1/2 hour nap. We ate dinner at Clementines after walking around the town some more and doing some souvenier shopping. Plan on walking to south beach tonight to get sunset pictures but it's overcast, so not sure what kind of sunset we'll get to see tonight. The weather is still great :)
Wednesday July 22nd, 2009 (Mike)
Awoke by 8:30 and had breakfast at the condo. I had hard boiled eggs and oatmeal while Jen had eggs & toast. Decided to visit Oval Beach in Saugatuck. Got to see some really cool dunes: biggest yet, and even saw some deer. We had packed a lunch and ate our sandwiches on the beach. Water was 68 degrees according to the sign. Only went into the water a couple of times. Ended up spending about 4 hours there. After we left from the beach we took a quick auto tour of Saugatuck. Arrived back at condo around 4pm. Showered, took a quick nap, etc Ate dinner at the Idler. I had a cheeseburger and Jen had a chicken sandwich. The food was ok but nothing to write home about. We tried again to visit Black River books but they close at 6pm and we got there at 6:30. Will try again tomorrow. We shared a butter pecan wafflecone from the chocolate store. *Very* good! We got some excellent photos of the sunset. Really wonderful experience. We're back at the condo earlier than normal tonight. I've really enjoyed reading through the hiking books John left in the condo. We didn't bring our hiking gear this trip but we hope to bring it for future trips to do some hiking. We're now winding down our day and as I sit here listening to music and jotting down our adventures, I'm reminded of how thankful I am that John and Cyndi have allowed us to stay in the condo. We've made memories and had experiences that will be with us for a lifetime. Thank you John and Cyndi. Good night.
Thursday July 23rd, 2009 (Mike)
Awoke by 9am and had toast and eggs at the condo. Finally made it over to the book store. Didn't buy anything but still enjoyed the trip. Spent the rest of the morning people watching. Picked up sandwiches from the Depot and ate them at the condo. Met up with John, Cyndi and the boys to take a ride on the sloop ship across the river from the condo. Was really neat although I got a bit sea sick from taking Austin down below for a quick look around. Afterwards Jen and I sat and had drinks while John, Cyndi and the boys had lunch at Captain Lou's. Hung out at the condo while John visited a maritime library. John, Cyndi and the boys headed back to Pretty Lake around 5pm. Jen and I had pizza at the Italian place down Kalamazoo Street from Black River Books. Pizza was great! Finished the evening watching the sunset again. Got back to the condo after 10:30 pm. Super enjoyable evening with great scenery, great weather, and great company. We will really miss this place. Back to the rat race soon. Goodnight.
Friday July 24th, 2009 (Jen)
Our last day here. Mike & Jen up at 6am-walked down to the south pier one last time. Forgot camera.. the sunrise looking down the river toward the condo with very few boats out would have been great shots. Will just have to remember it. Fed some ducks on the way to the lighthouse. The people are so friendly here. Saw a few people out and about- mostly fishing. Saw 3 people sleeping on the other side of the lighthouse: 2 men and a woman in between them... interesting. Walked over to the Bakery and had breakfast there. Had eggs, toast and bacon. Coffee with cream for me, Mike had a coke. Bought 2 glazed donuts and ate them out front. Amused by the locals' chatter. One man "Jerry" was out with his "puppy" (Mastiff?) it was HUGE! Another man said how Jerry was dressed up. Jerry said he was going to court that day, to sue Wal-mart! Guess they serviced his car and messed it up, insurance denied the claim, so he is suing them. Can't say I blame the guy. Donut was enjoyable by the way. :) We are sad to leave.. have had a lot of fun this week. Great memories that we will cherish forever. We are already looking forward to our next trip. Hoping to have a DSLR next time! Thanks John & Mom SO much for letting us stay here. Packing it up to spend the day @ Pretty Lake.. another gorgeous spot.
Mike & Jen - - OUT.
We ate breakfast at the condo, then drove to Van Buren state park and scoped out the beach there. Took off our shoes and walked down to where the sign stated "Private Property" before you reach the Nuclear Power Plant. The South Haven Lighthouse looks so tiny from there! Walked back to the jeep, then went to the store for a few supplies for our beach trip tomorrow (thinking Oval Beach). Came back to the condo, made lunch and packed the cooler, ate lunch on the deck. Sandwiches, chips, apples, pickles and beer. Weather could not have been more perfect! Came back up to condo and took a 2 1/2 hour nap. We ate dinner at Clementines after walking around the town some more and doing some souvenier shopping. Plan on walking to south beach tonight to get sunset pictures but it's overcast, so not sure what kind of sunset we'll get to see tonight. The weather is still great :)
Wednesday July 22nd, 2009 (Mike)
Awoke by 8:30 and had breakfast at the condo. I had hard boiled eggs and oatmeal while Jen had eggs & toast. Decided to visit Oval Beach in Saugatuck. Got to see some really cool dunes: biggest yet, and even saw some deer. We had packed a lunch and ate our sandwiches on the beach. Water was 68 degrees according to the sign. Only went into the water a couple of times. Ended up spending about 4 hours there. After we left from the beach we took a quick auto tour of Saugatuck. Arrived back at condo around 4pm. Showered, took a quick nap, etc Ate dinner at the Idler. I had a cheeseburger and Jen had a chicken sandwich. The food was ok but nothing to write home about. We tried again to visit Black River books but they close at 6pm and we got there at 6:30. Will try again tomorrow. We shared a butter pecan wafflecone from the chocolate store. *Very* good! We got some excellent photos of the sunset. Really wonderful experience. We're back at the condo earlier than normal tonight. I've really enjoyed reading through the hiking books John left in the condo. We didn't bring our hiking gear this trip but we hope to bring it for future trips to do some hiking. We're now winding down our day and as I sit here listening to music and jotting down our adventures, I'm reminded of how thankful I am that John and Cyndi have allowed us to stay in the condo. We've made memories and had experiences that will be with us for a lifetime. Thank you John and Cyndi. Good night.
Thursday July 23rd, 2009 (Mike)
Awoke by 9am and had toast and eggs at the condo. Finally made it over to the book store. Didn't buy anything but still enjoyed the trip. Spent the rest of the morning people watching. Picked up sandwiches from the Depot and ate them at the condo. Met up with John, Cyndi and the boys to take a ride on the sloop ship across the river from the condo. Was really neat although I got a bit sea sick from taking Austin down below for a quick look around. Afterwards Jen and I sat and had drinks while John, Cyndi and the boys had lunch at Captain Lou's. Hung out at the condo while John visited a maritime library. John, Cyndi and the boys headed back to Pretty Lake around 5pm. Jen and I had pizza at the Italian place down Kalamazoo Street from Black River Books. Pizza was great! Finished the evening watching the sunset again. Got back to the condo after 10:30 pm. Super enjoyable evening with great scenery, great weather, and great company. We will really miss this place. Back to the rat race soon. Goodnight.
Friday July 24th, 2009 (Jen)
Our last day here. Mike & Jen up at 6am-walked down to the south pier one last time. Forgot camera.. the sunrise looking down the river toward the condo with very few boats out would have been great shots. Will just have to remember it. Fed some ducks on the way to the lighthouse. The people are so friendly here. Saw a few people out and about- mostly fishing. Saw 3 people sleeping on the other side of the lighthouse: 2 men and a woman in between them... interesting. Walked over to the Bakery and had breakfast there. Had eggs, toast and bacon. Coffee with cream for me, Mike had a coke. Bought 2 glazed donuts and ate them out front. Amused by the locals' chatter. One man "Jerry" was out with his "puppy" (Mastiff?) it was HUGE! Another man said how Jerry was dressed up. Jerry said he was going to court that day, to sue Wal-mart! Guess they serviced his car and messed it up, insurance denied the claim, so he is suing them. Can't say I blame the guy. Donut was enjoyable by the way. :) We are sad to leave.. have had a lot of fun this week. Great memories that we will cherish forever. We are already looking forward to our next trip. Hoping to have a DSLR next time! Thanks John & Mom SO much for letting us stay here. Packing it up to spend the day @ Pretty Lake.. another gorgeous spot.
Mike & Jen - - OUT.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)