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Finally! We put my Christmas present of a traveling geoscarab on the car so "HMS Fearless" can travel the world (or at least Middle Tennessee) and get spotted.
For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, if you are interested in learning more about the sport of Geocaching, visit their website. We have a lot of fun with this, traveling to places we wouldn't see otherwise and meeting people who also enjoy the activity.
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Inspired by this post, I wanted my own picture for the wall. However, I wanted ours to be black and white and I didn't feel like doing it myself. When it turned out that A. I couldn't convince my husband to do it and B. I found his cousin had a photo collection of black and white letters she had taken herself for her business Life Lens Love Lifestyle Photography . . . I knew I had my plan of action.
Don't judge her work based on my photo of our art on the wall! I was struggling to get a picture that did not include my reflection in the glass which made for an awkward pose. Plus, I'm not the photographer in the family. Those would be Cousin Leanne and Husband Aaron. However, Husband Aaron is outside building raised garden beds and I was so excited to get this up on the wall and posted on my blog I decided to not wait.
Not only can Leanne create art like this on order, she also takes phenomenal photos of both people and still life. If you are looking for a photographer and live in the Franklin County, TN area, definitely check her out. I just wish we'd lived closer so I could take advantage of more of her services.
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I don't have a lot to add, but I've come up with a few more:
6. Make my own cheese.
7. Hike one hundred miles.
8. Eat from my garden.
9. Camp out at least overnight.
and to refresh your memory of the first 5 . . .
1. Find geocaches in the eight states that border TN. We've already accomplished Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, and Kentucky. That just leaves Missouri, North Carolina, and Virginia . . .
2. Eat meatless 1+ times a week (preferably 2+ times regularly).
3. Take a ride in a hot air balloon.
4. Learn to make Granny's divinity.
5. Take a train trip somewhere.
To be continued . . .
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What a fabulous day it was on Saturday. The weather was gorgeous and we spent about 4 hours down in the Savage Gulf Natural Area hiking and enjoying the day. We left M'boro around 8:30 and got to the parking lot for Greeter Falls around 10 am. Warning: this one does not have a restroom nearby so go before you go if you need to . . .
Lindy is saying "enough with the pictures, let's go!" so off we went. First we did a short spur to an old watering hole - but we were not brave enough to take a dip. It is February after all.
After that we headed off to explore some of the other trails. We spent about an hour heading over to Alum Gap, and then part of the Laurel Trail before sitting down and making some lunch. After all that, we started back the way we came, stopping to chat with various other people on the trails. There was a very nifty suspension bridge (which Lindy hated) that I made Aaron take a picture of us on, even though it was traumatic for the pooch.
And even though we did not finish the Greeter Falls trail loop, we did hike down to the falls themselves.
Aren't they pretty . . .
Even after some ibuprofen and more walking yesterday, I'm definitely sore today. But I can't wait to get back in shape after a winter of not doing much.
And we will definitely be back. There are so many more trails in this area I'd like to do, especially the 15 mile Big Creek Trails. Who knows, we might even camp out there!
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I'm celebrating right now our plans for tomorrow. Originally we were going to have a paella event, but there was a conflict in schedules and we didn't feel like making paella if there would be just two of us. So, since the weather is supposed to be decent, we've decided to throw caution to the winds - forget the chores - and take the dog on an adventure. We're planning on a half day hike and now we just have to decide the following:
I can't wait! Amazing how a little bit of sun makes my mood 150% better than it has been. Think about it, what has you celebrating right now?
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I've been toying around with the (oh so common now) idea of a list of things I want to do before I turn forty. Since I now have 365 days left to accomplish this, it is time to get serious. However, I don't have a complete list yet so this will be a work in progress!
1. Find geocaches in the eight states that border TN. We've already accomplished Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, and Kentucky. That just leaves Missouri, North Carolina, and Virginia . . .
2. Eat meatless 1+ times a week (preferably 2+ times regularly).
3. Take a ride in a hot air balloon.
4. Learn to make Granny's divinity.
5. Take a train trip somewhere.
To be continued . . .
PS - Happy Birthday to me, now go do something fun and festive for yourself (if it isn't your birthday, celebrate your Un-Birthday, I give you permission).
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I'm not the best at celebrating or decorating for Valentine's Day. There are a multitude of reasons why this is so. Suffice to say, I put a lot more energy into other holidays than I do this one. However, with all the snow we've been through this winter and in celebration of the fact that we are in the 50s today I'm thrilled that this is not my car right now!
And having said that, I'm off to help my husband cook dinner. On the menu are Roasted Cornish Hens with Cherry-Port Glaze, Wild Rice with Dried Fruit and Nuts, Sugar Snap Peas, and for dessert Black and Tan Brownies. Yum!
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Because we started dating in October, we like to celebrate that anniversary with a nice dinner out. Each time we've gone to one of these restaurants, we've managed to acquire (by asking nicely) a souvenir menu. Recently we framed the three we have and hung them up in the dining area to inspire us with the dishes we enjoyed.
In 2008 we ate at Margot Cafe in East Nashville (Five Points area for the locals). Each dish was amazing and we keep talking about going back some time, especially for their homemade potato chips. Silly isn't it, to rave about homemade potato chips but they are great!
In 2009 we tried tayst which is the only certified green restaurant in Nashville. Normally I wouldn't be overly impressed with creme brulee because I've had good ones in a lot of places (including my own home) but it is a speciality of theirs. Their chef used it for his dessert portion of "final exams" at CIA or some such. I seem to remember stealing most of Aaron's that night and wouldn't mind going back again for my own.
In 2010 we again headed over to East Nashville and ate at Rumours East. Their menu doesn't change daily like the previous two restaurants but still had lots of seasonal dishes on it. We ate on the porch in a quiet area with no suffering of service. Again, the food was delicious and we've considered how we could recreate some of those tastes.
2011 has only just started, but I'm already collecting suggestions for October's dinner. As for the decorating . . . well, my wall might get full - but it sure will be inspiring!
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So much for that optimism of my last post. I promptly turned around and got sick . . . being the fifth of at least six people in my department to fall victim to the "crud". It seems like I've been fighting something or other ever since we got back from CA so I did go to the doctor this time and they prescribed an antibiotic. I don't like taking antibiotics, they usually do a number on my system. However, in this case, I was showing signs of infection so I agreed to be a good girl. I was out of the office both Thursday and Friday, plus pretty much out of commission Saturday and Sunday. I did go back to work today, and let me tell you I could not wait for the day to end. We'll be eating dinner soon and then it will probably be time for me to curl up in bed with my book. I lead an exciting life y'all . . . I'm hoping to be fast asleep prior to 8 pm tonight!
While I was at home, and after I was no longer able to sleep 22 hours of the day, I did indulge in a little playtime. We finished putting together a puzzle - I love doing puzzles in the winter and this was the first one we'd pulled out this year. Santa brought it for us.
I also watched a bunch of movies from a set borrowed from a co-worker: The Great Detectives Anthology from A&E Home Video. If I have to be sick . . . I don't want to use my brain in the ways I use it for work, but I don't want it to get lazy. Puzzles and mysteries, my idea of fun!
Now if I can just kick all of this and actually be healthy again, my husband and my dog (probably even the cat) will be happy and I can start practicing my "word" again - CELEBRATE.
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