3rd Annual Camping Trip

Hello there again blog world! Some of you long-time readers might remember the tradition Kyle and I have of camping in the North Carolina mountains every Fall, and today I am excited to finally share with you some photos from our 3rd Annual Camping Trip! (You can read about our first trip here and our second trip here and here). To add to the goodness, Sam and Amanda (and their Weimaraner, Sterling) joined us this time, and it was so great to get to spend time with them and catch up. This year we hiked the John Rock loop trail, which is part of Pisgah National Forest, and I'd say it was the perfect medium between the really easy trail we did on our first camping trip and the pretty difficult trail we did last year. We got to the trailhead around 11 a.m. the Saturday of Georgia's bye game (gotta plan trips in the Fall around football games), and soon after we got the dogs settled into their hiking gear (aka red handkerchiefs and gentle leaders), we were off on our 5-mile adventure.

Sam and Kyle leading the way.

Posing for a family photo at the trailhead.

The dogs couldn't get enough of the fresh mountain water.

Almost to the top!

Gorgeous fall foliage. 

We made it! From the John Rock lookout, you can see this beautiful view of Looking Glass Rock, which is the trail we did last year. Looking at it from this perspective, it's no wonder I felt like I was about to DIE last year. That thing is like a mini Half Dome. 

After a much-needed lunch break while taking in the beautiful view, we posed for some more family photos. This one is definitely going in a frame. 

We love our Weimaraner babies. 

On our way back down the trail, we discovered quite a few spots that would be perfect as campsites, and since they are in a National Park it would be FREE, so we're thinking about going that route next year. But for this camping trip, we went back to old faithful Black Forest Campground. We got two campsites right next to each other since two tents wouldn't fit on one plot, so here is what the Fenton campsite looked like on the right. Now let's play a game and see if you can spot both Weimaraners in the photo below. ;) 

While we were waiting for the chili to heat up over the fire, Amanda got the s'more party going early. Dessert before dinner--a girl after my own heart!

And while we ate yummy food, the dogs got to chill on this waterproof outdoor blanket Kyle's mom gave me for my birthday this year. It held up really well against these two crazies flipping out and playing with each other, getting leaves and dirt all over it. At the end of the night we just shook it off and it looked good as new. Not even kidding.

The next morning we tried to get up and get an early start since the guys had a lot to do to prepare for their 3rd clinical rotation (Sam and Kyle are in the same class in PT School). Surprisingly we were able to get this group photo with both dogs looking:

On the way home, we made a quick pit stop at Ceasar's Head State Park for one last look at the mountains. It was a hazy morning but still a gorgeous view all the same.

Then we were off back to the real world. Thanks for enduring through this super long post with me! Anyone else go on a really good hike lately? We are always open to new suggestions! 

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!