Hiking Around Stone Mountain

It seems like all my posts these days start off with the phrase “A few weeks ago...” dot dot dot. And it’s true, I am slightly behind on things I would like to blog about, but that’s ok. We are just in a busy season of life and I am grateful for any time I can find now to sit down and blog. I still love to do it, despite the fact that I can’t post as often as I used to. So hang in there with me?

Ok so back to the story at hand. A few weeks ago, Kyle and I took a day trip to go hiking around Stone Mountain. We went to break in my new Columbia hiking boots so I wouldn’t be wearing them for the first time on our camping trip (which actually happened this past weekend, more on that soon!), and so Kyle and Doc could hike to the top of the Mountain for the first time. I can’t believe Kyle grew up so close to Stone Mountain and had never been to the top! It's not a particularly difficult trail or anything like that, it's just the views of the Atlanta skyline and the mountains in the distance that make it worth it.

Ironically enough though, when we got to the walk-up trailhead, we were disappointed to see a huge sign reading NO PETS, among other things. Kyle and I looked at each other and decided we would just pretend we didn’t see it, but apparently Stone Mountain planned ahead for people like us. Every few trees or so we saw the sign again and again, some even getting as specific as saying NO DOGS. Kinda hard to pretend we couldn’t see it. Can I get a womp womp?

So after debating for a few minutes whether Kyle would just continue hiking to the top by himself since he hadn’t done it before or stay together and hike the other trails that allowed dogs, we decided to just stay together as a family. Way to ruin our day trip, Stone Mountain! Just kidding, it wasn’t totally ruined. We actually really enjoyed the Cherokee Trail that went around the mountain for 5 miles. Here are a few pictures from our hike:

By the end of the 5 miles, we were exhausted. We would definitely come back and hike this trail around the Mountain again, though Kyle and I are due for a trip sans the pup so he can finally make it to the top. :)

P.S. If you want to read more about our camping trip this past weekend, check out Amanda's blog!

My New Pretty!

Happy Monday morning! Let's start the week off with some fun news. I can't believe I haven't blogged about this yet, but I finally crawled out from under my rock a few weeks ago and got a big girl phone! Kyle and I crunched the numbers one day and figured we wouldn't pay that much more per month if I got a smart phone, so we headed over to Best Buy and took advantage of the lower prices on the iPhone 4S. The verdict: I am in love! But I need help from all you iPhone gurus out there. What are the must-have apps, besides the obvious Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? I know next to nothing about good apps so any suggestions are welcome! Oh and speaking of Instagram, you can now follow me @lesleyannef! 

As odd as it sounds, I think my favorite part about my new phone is the case I got from Emily Ley. She has some of the cutest iPhone cases out there, and she just came out with Gameday colors for all you football fans! Check out her shop here. I especially love the packaging she used:

Though it's not a practical Otterbox or anything like that, I was willing to sacrifice the functionality for the cute factor. Here are some more views of the case, which is the Tile Case in Navy:

So far, so good! So tell me, how long were you able to hold out until you got a smart phone?

2012 Yellow Daisy Festival

One thing I was excited about once we moved back to the Atlanta area was getting to do fun things with my mom and sister again. A few weekends ago, we were able to do just that! My mom, sister, and I braved the heat and humidity that is September in Georgia and made it out to the Yellow Daisy Festival at Stone Mountain Park. We decided to go on Saturday of the Festival weekend, which also happened to be the busiest (and rainiest) day. But we survived! Here are a few images I captured from the day. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to see what my sister and I purchased (hint: it has to do with CHRISTMAS!) ←can you tell I’m excited?

Mom bought Dad some salt water taffy -- his favorite!

One of my favorite booths had the cutest holiday wreaths!

Once we finished the first loop, we headed back to the main entrance to grab some lunch. Mom and I both got chicken gyros, while Ashley got some Chick-fil-a, and all three of us shared this plate of chips, also known as butterfly fries. They had a very interesting texture! Not quite chips but not quite fries.

So this is what Ashley and I came home with -- Christmas yard signs! Aren't they so cute? You know you've crossed over to the old side when you start to get excited about Christmas decorations. I remember being little and shopping with my Mom and she would get SO giddy over Christmas shops, and I just did not understand it. Now I totally do!

Here's a close-up of Ashley's sign:

And here's a close-up of mine:

Can't wait to find the perfect place for this guy at Christmas! Another purchase was this bag of Honey Spice Chai from the Perky Moose booth. It is DIVINE. And perfect for Fall. (Find them at perkymoose.com if you want to get some of your own!).

So that was our successful day at the Yellow Daisy Festival. Can't wait to go back next year!

A Much Overdue Life Update

Hi friends! I owe y’all this post big time. Last time I posted, I mentioned we were moving, but I didn’t say where or why. So here are the details!

{Moving Day 2012}

We moved back to metro Atlanta exactly a month ago yesterday, and we are living in Kyle’s parents’ old house now. Long-time readers might remember from this post that Kyle’s parents moved two years ago, and their previous home hasn't sold yet, which is the house we are currently living in. I know it may sound a little confusing, but basically, Kyle’s parents offered to let us live in their empty house rent free, and it is within reasonable distance of my new job and Kyle’s clinical rotations, so we decided it was the best option for us during this next season of life. The goal is to save up what we would have been paying in rent for a down payment, and then buy our own home once Kyle graduates from Physical Therapy school and gets a J-O-B (this sugar mama thing got old like yesterday).

So speaking of being a sugar mama, I got a new job! I have been in my new position for two and a half weeks now, and I absolutely LOVE it. I am working for the University System of Georgia in Atlanta, which a lot of people get mixed up with the University of Georgia. It’s definitely understandable since there’s only a one-word difference, but the University System of Georgia is the governing organization over all 35 public colleges and universities in the state of Georgia, which includes the University of Georgia. So UGA falls under the umbrella of the University System of Georgia if that makes sense. Anyway, side note, I am especially excited to show y’all my new office once I’m done decorating it. Stay tuned!

The reason we went ahead and moved away from Augusta is mainly because of Kyle’s clinical rotations. In the third year of PT school, the Fall and Spring semesters consist solely of clinical rotations, and Kyle was able to get most of his rotations in the Atlanta area. Since we knew we wanted to end up near Atlanta once Kyle graduated in May anyway, we decided there was no reason not to go ahead and move. It’s hard to believe, but Kyle only has three weeks left of his inpatient rotation at Dekalb Medical Center, and then he will be on a pediatric rotation in Gwinnett County for the rest of the Fall semester. We’re looking forward to all the time he’ll have off in December though--we’re planning on building our own farmhouse table!

So far the transition has been a semi-smooth one, but I’m not gonna lie and say that everything has been honky-dory. I have my moments where I really miss Augusta. And to be honest, I never thought I would say that, but it’s true. I think it’s so easy to overlook the bountiful blessings God has provided when they are right there in front of you. Now that I'm away from Augusta, I really miss the friendships we made there, our awesome church family, all the beautiful places we could take Doc on a walk, my co-workers at GHSU, and on top of all that it was the place where Kyle and I made our first home together. It will always hold a special place in our heart, and right now I'm a little sad that that season of our life has passed.

So that’s where we are in life right now. Just another transitional phase. But still beyond blessed! 

Guess What We're Up To...

Oh hi! Remember me? The girl who hasn't blogged in a month and a half? Yeah, about that. Our life has been a little flipped upside down lately, mostly because WE ARE MOVING ON SATURDAY! Yep, just go ahead and call us professional movers. We can't get enough of it. The house is a complete disaster right now and looking a LOT like this:

Doc has no idea what's going on and continues to just hang out on his bed while we pack. Oh the life of a dog! 

In the meantime, I wanted to give you a preview of what we've been up to/what's coming up on the blog soon. I have a LOT of catching up to do, y'all!

If we're friends on Facebook, you know I have a little photography business going. I can't wait to share more about this! I started out this summer with a maternity session for Laura + Jason at Hammond's Ferry.

A few weeks later, I had my first baby photography session with sweet Ava Grace at the Augusta Canal. 

A couple days after Ava Grace's session, Laura and Jason had their baby! We went to visit them in the hospital where I snapped this sweet picture. :)

Later on that week, we had another shoot swap with the Greavus. I am obsessed with Amanda's new haircut!

When Lucy turned three weeks old, I went over to Jason + Laura's house for my first newborn session. I definitely have a renewed appreciation for all newborn photographers after this! It's fun, but a lot harder than you think!

A couple days later, I took some 5-Month portraits for my sister's niece, Annabeth. I can't get over how adorable Annabeth is!

In July we visited the Biltmore Estate. I absolutely cannot wait to blog about this! 

While we were in North Carolina we also had a family reunion. We took lots of attractive pictures...like this one:

Speaking of (actual) attractive pictures, my cousin Caroline agreed to be a model for me so I could practice my senior photography skills. My Aunt Catherine, my mom and my sister came along as my assistants and we had so much fun! 

Near the end of July, I had my second maternity session of the summer with Marie + Brandon along the Riverwalk. It was a HOT night, but Marie was super photogenic all the same!

About a week into August, we went to the Atlanta airport to pick up my little brother as he had been away in North Africa for 3 months. Needless to say we were SO happy to see him! 

I've also been attending a lot of baby showers lately. Folks sure are mighty productive over here in Augusta! And I mean that in the most appropriate way possible. ;) 

So that's our crazy life right now! Anyone else's eyes about to go cross-eyed from the hugeness of this post? I'll give you a little break and skip away now. :)

P.S. so glad to be back!