Lake Norris!

Today was excellent from top to bottom.

First, I of course was off work today, in lieu of our impending mini-getaway into the Tennessee Smokies. That lent me the chance to drop Sydni off at her bus stop, something I haven't been able to do since her first day of school exactly one month ago. We got an early start, so we made a pitstop at the gas station to get mama some coffee, and an extra cup for apple juice for Sydni. Then we were off to the bus stop, where we sat for a few moments alone together eating breakfast before the other kids started showing up.

"look mommy: i look like i'm drinking coffee!"
.... (she isn't... she isn't.)

Sydni boarded the bus and Mindi gave me some final tips on what to expect and what to avoid on our trip to Norris, then I was off to head home and get going.

I read this cover to cover on the way down:

:) 

^ It's a little romantic in nature, but every once in a while, it's nice to absorb something painted a little more brightly than some parts of the real world around us. I borrowed it from my first trip to the Oakley library earlier in the week, and finished the last page just as we were entering the foothills of pure mountain landscape.

I might not leave this place. ;)

I got the bright idea to do a mini video-tour of the cabin property, instead of try to piece together 25 pictures that would do a Picasso job of the same task. Here it is: our mountain-set, lakeside slice of Heaven that we'll be inhabiting for the next two days. You can find us at the bottom of the half-mile gravel driveway ;)

It is... sublime here.
Rob and I made it in first, surveyed the scene and then left the boat parked at the top of the gravel driveway that required 4WD to travel down to the cabin. We unloaded, set up our little camp for the weekend and awaited Jesse's arrival.

I was immediately drawn to the boat dock, where I headed with yoga mat in tow.

inversions. inversions... inversions.....
#scorpion.

more work. 

Jesse arrived an hour or so after we did, so the three of us set off in search of a boat ramp, loaded in and took off for our first cruise of Norris Lake.

here we go! 

floating houses! 

Within minutes, I fell in love with this place. The water is green, but not because it's toxic. You can see the bottom in many places, and the shoreline for this place extends for several hundred miles.

We cruised until eventually we found ourselves at Shanghai Marina, where we stopped for the evening to explore and eat. We snagged a map of Norris while we were at it, certain that it's going to be put to good use tomorrow.

shanghai marina | norris lake
lafollette, tennessee

Here we are now, back at the cabin. Tomorrow will be our day to play on Norris and see what this place is really about. We already decided that our next trip here will span over more than two nights, and with any luck, we'll plan it more than a week in advance ;) Hehe.

G'Night, Rocky Tops!

xo | cmd

Halloween Pre-Game

It is September 18th. 

This girl reminded me that she does a 6-week pregame for Halloween, which I will totally entertain, every single day until it gets here.

♥♥♥

And I love every second of it.

In tonight's version of Princess Sydni, Snow White doesn't live in a cottage, but rather a castle. Made of blankets and pillows. It is clearly a fortress to be envied. ;)

Back to the royal castle I go!

xo | cmd

Findlay & Hahana!

It's been way too long since Elisa and I broke out of the office for a jaunt all the way down to Findlay Market. We voted a unanimous yes on that field trip today, and it was toooootally worth it.

a spanish girl & an asian girl go to findlay.. and this is what happens
#staytypical ;) 

We soaked up the sun sitting outside at those token red metal tables, explored the new Maverick Chocolate Shoppe and of course... ate food. Like, a lot of food. After that, we eventually made our way back to work and finished out the day as though we weren't overstuffed on tortilla chips and noodles [respectively, of course ;) ].

It's off to volleyball in a few minutes [what? An early blog?!], so I bid this tasty little entry adieu until tomorrow.

[Wish us luck!]

xo | cmd

Dick's Last Resort

I don't frequent Newport much anymore these days, which is something of a shame, as there are plenty of fun little digs around there now. I haven't been to Hofbrahaus once this year, which I know... is disappointing. It really is.

Tonight Rob and I decided we'd head south to Newport and see where the night landed us. Our resting spot at the last minute was Dick's Last Resort, a joint famous for staff that can purposefully exercise sarcasm and teasing.

dick's last resort | newport, ky 

One of the trademarks at Dick's is receiving a hat.
It's not a fancy hat [well, I suppose that depends on your general outlook], but in case you've never been or are curious as to the stuff these folks come up with...

uhhhhh... thanks? 

It's definitely not an atmosphere for the faint of heart or easily-offended, but the food was decent and it was a sassy little experience that was fun to do at least once.

In more mundane news, here's the newest addition to the arsenal of colors in the closet:

river rock! 

It doesn't take much to entertain me; really, it doesn't ;).

See ya next time!

xo | cmd 

We'll Wake Up Tomorrow

yep.. 

^ Can ya really blame her? It's Monday, after all. ;)

It was a slow start to the week today, but we've all made it through, unscathed. Looks like it's going to be somewhat of a lax evening.. and hey, I'm totally fine with that.

xo | cmd 

Sneezy Sunday

7,467.

What's that number you ask? 

That is my approximate guess of how many times I sneezed today. *H'ACHOOOOO.

I woke up just fine, but by the time we were halfway through the 11:00 church service, my sinuses were at a total discord with each other. Not long after that, the sneezing set in, and from there on out, it was a battle that ultimately left me sore-nosed and sullen on the couch with blanket over my wheezing face. 

Hot, I know. 

The silver lining to all of this? The waking up part looked like this: 

crazy morning hair & i love it. 

And this: 

sleeping bag snuggles

and of course... a wake up call for mr. rob! 

^^ Because who needs sleep when they camp, anyway? 

1. I managed to, without infecting anything, turn the small spaces of time between sternutations into productive increments of cooking. Lunches for the week are done. Yay! 

2. Rob fixed our oven, because... well, that's what he does. He fixes everything. I don't know how he always does it, but it happens and for that, he's pretty doggone awesome. 

3. Sydni took a nap & cut up some paper. Hey, we were all being productive, yeah?  

post-church snoooooze

I'll spare you all any photographic evidence of my lovely state right now: couch-bound with tissues in hand, breathing like a Persian cat on a hot day. While I'm sure that's enticing, this day ends here; See you tomorrow ;)

xo | cmd

Backyard Camping

We set out on a mission today to purge whatever parts of our wardrobe we aren't using. That applied to all of us, and, after doing so, we were able to determine what we lacked and what we absolutely didn't need.

That led to a mini shopping trip; our objective was to get Rob some new shirts, since we counted past two hands how many he's had since he was in high school. Some of them looked like they hadn't been unfolded in the last 10 years either, judging by the deep fold lines. So yeah, a revamp was due.

Sydni got ready and waltzed out the door looking in a high school sophomore heading to the mall..

not so little anymore! :( 

I had a quick glimpse of what's in store for me ten years from now, and it made me both happy and a little sad at the same time. I think that's normal though.......... right?

"dream big" [her shirt]

Anyway, by the time we were halfway done with shopping, I was quickly reassured that my little girl is still the playful thing I hope she always will be:

run. play. love (: 

We made our way home to prepare for the night ahead of us: backyard camping!
I ran some errands and went grocery shopping while Rob and Sydni pitched the tent and got the bonfire going; by the time I got back, it was hot dogs and s'mores - the typical diet of all bonfire campers.

saturday nights: i'll take this over anything the city lights could offer ♥

Yes, this is backdated.
No, I did not have my computer out while we were camping ;) 


xo | cmd