A Weekend in the Mountains-Sweet Freedom!

Kendall and I ran away to the mountains all by ourselves last weekend! It was so quiet. Here is a photo of the dog butt that welcomed us at the front steps to our cabin. Also a pic of the dead leaves on a tree out behind the cabin that actually looked lovely in this light after a light rain.

Following is a boatload of photos at Anna Ruby Falls just North of Helen, GA at the Unicoi State Park. I was playing with the new camera, not sure at all what I'm doing but some of them turned out alright, if I do say so myself.

Now, this next series of photos documents one of my favorite parts of the trip. We had already checked out of the cabin and we headed up to the waterfall. After the hike we were ready for lunch and had decided to grill some hotdogs and reheat a couple of burgers from the night before. The park had great picnic areas so we found one with a pavilion and got our stuff out of the cooler. Kendall noticed that we had some Duraflame logs in the back of the Yukon so we grabbed one to put in the grill. We thought we would be clever and roast the dogs over the flame on a stick so.......

The next photo occurs after the following conversation:

Kim: I found a great smooth , skinny stick.
Kendall: Is it toxic?

Kim: Uhhhh...

Kendall: Let me check.

Kim: How exactly do you do that Mr. Eagle Scout?

Kendall: (mumbled with stick in mouth) You stick it in your mouth like this and if it burns it's toxic.

Kim: (stifling laughter) So?

Kendall: We're good!

After determining that the stick would not kill us we put the dog on it and held it over the flame. It was after about five minutes that we learned something new. A Duraflame log puts out a LOT of soot. Check out the hotdog. Would you eat that? Yeah, me neither. So now what? It's about 42* outside by the way.

Kim: I sure wish we had some foil. Then we would just wrap everything or lay it on top of the grill to cook on.

Kendall: That would be nice.

Kim: Wait a minute. I have an idea.

Now, considering the temperature of the air and weakness of the flame, we had a while to wait. What does one do when lunch is taking too long? Well, the chocolate is open now so we might as well have dessert first!

Yum!

Then, finally, lunch is served!

This is the kind of adventure best had without five hungry kids in tow.

Thoughts on the Inauguration

No matter what your political leanings, it is hard not to be touched on a day like today. I think about the turmoil that often accompanies changes in government in other places in the world and I am so grateful for our great republic. I am thankful for the amazing crowds that turned out to witness a truly historic and wonderful event. I have never seen such reverence and respect from such a large crowd. I love the first photo because there is joy on the faces of each one of them, though for very different reasons. I love that we will have happy, smiling children and a puppy in the White House. I love that this First Family has an obvious love for each other. I love the joy on the face of the girl in the last photo. What an amazing, crazy, diverse, dynamic, strong-willed country we live in! GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Because Some Days You Just Need A Houseful of Pre-Schoolers To Make Everything Seem Right

More Fooling Around....

Sierra and I had a blast downtown today. Looks like a scary place but it's really not. We had a lovely visit from a public safety officer in a golf cart who was just doing rounds. She waved and smiled and went on her way. This little graffiti grotto is a secret, you'd never find it if you didn't know where it was. (Thanks Dad!!!)

I don't now anyone who can work hot pink eye shadow like this girl can!

Again, bring on the suggestions. I tried to use the ideas from the last post. Still getting a little blur but I'm still shooting on my various auto settings. I'll be moving on to manual settings shortly. I'm sure that will help!

Just Playing With the New Camera and Photoshop

Please let me know what you think. I mean, I already know Brantley is the cutest child on the planet. I want to know what you think about the photos! Suggestions please!

Birthday Girls

Sierra turned 14 on the 6th of January. Her moods and her hairstyles change rapidly these days! Sierra is so full of energy and love. It is hard to keep up with her! She loves horses and puppies and her sisters. She is brave and determined. Sierra has been dealt some challenges and she is taking them head-on. She doesn't back down in the face of adversity. Watch out for this force of nature. She will change the world some day! Love you Sierra!

What can I say? Brantley is what Brantley is! Adorable, fiesty, compassionate, driven. She is a force to be reckoned with! At 4 years old today she is more in charge than ever! She has strong opinions and is not afraid to share them. If she has something to say and someone else is talking she says "May I be excused?" Then watch out if you don't stop the conversation to listen to her! I love my curly headed girl!

The Mendoza Family

I love this photo of the Mendoza Family. We had a bit of rain yesterday so we got in and out in under 30 minutes. That was about 27 minutes longer than Samantha's attention span. Actually she did her own thing the whole time. I don't know her well enough to know if this is normal for her but since her mom and dad just went with it I am assuming that it is. So cute!

LOST: One mind. If found please call Kim at........

What a glorious time of year! I love the after Christmas glow. The children playing with new toys which this year included a Wii which Mom and Dad also adore! New iPods which brings a new level of quiet to our house that is rarely experienced. Lots of interaction with the neighbors and their new toys. An abundance of time with family and with Dad who has taken a lot of time off over the past couple of weeks. Several trips to the bowling alley and the movie theater, we recommend "Bedtime Stories" for the whole family and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", "Seven Pounds", and "Valkyrie" for the grown-ups. The new Christmas puppy.......wait, did I just say puppy? Yes, I swore that I was not having any more babies, puppies included, but guess what Santa brought?

Meet Lucy. She is a mixed mutt about 6 weeks old. I am in love with her! Yes, me, the "not so much of a dog person" who has barely managed to tolerate poor Annie all these years. I seriously love this puppy. She has been a joy despite the whining at night and a few accidents. She has taken quickly to potty training and lets Brantley and Mallory tote her all over the house. She was the runt of her litter so we are hoping she stays on the smaller side. She really is sweet!

And, by the way, the photos of her were taken with my new toy.

Behold the 10.1 megapixel Canon Rebel XS!

I'm in love with it too!