THANKSGIVING IN THE MOUNTAINS

We spent this whole week in the mountains of Boone, NC. The weather was perfect the first few days and nice and cold the end of the week. We celebrated Thanksgiving with Jennifer's family and celebrated her grandfather's 80th birthday on Friday. We hiked Grandfather mountain, saw lots of animals, fed horses, sat in the hot tub and ate a TON of good food. Hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving Holiday as much as we have!! Enjoy the pics.... Josiah playing with his cousins... Grandpa eating his s'more made in the fire place.... Mark and I had a date day hiking Grandfather Mountain...

All bundled up in the mountains

Apple Butter

Ok, so I have to brag on Mark for a bit. I am allowed to brag because he is my husband, right? Well, he LOVES apple butter and has been saying for a while he wants to make some from scratch. A couple of days ago, he went to the store, bought all the apples and other ingredients needed and got to work. The process to make homemade apple butter is a 24 hour ordeal. He cored all the apples himself, peeled them all, (which he says took about 40 minutes because you have to do it after they cook and are really soft), and followed the directions exactly. He made enough to fill 4 canning jars, which he canned himself as well, and it is DELICIOUS!!! Now I have to convince him to make more for Christmas gifts....

Celebrating 7 years of Marriage

This weekend Mark and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary on November 4th. Wow, how time does flies. It is true that each year gets better and better. We have traveled many places together all over the world, lived in another country, and are now proud parents of our first son. I am blessed to be married to my best friend who I can and do talk to about EVERYTHING, and most of the time, he listens! He is my biggest fan and I hope I am his. We spent the weekend back home in Wilmington, eating at our favorite places (Goody Goody, Trolley Stop, etc), and just sitting on the beach watching the waves and talking. Of course, Mark was able to surf some perfect waves both mornings, which was a bonus, and my mom took care of Josiah, giving us as much alone time as we wanted. This was one of the first years we did not travel somewhere for our anniversary, but being back in Wilmington made up for it for sure. There is nothing like sitting on the beach with a cool breeze and the warm sun on your face watching and listening to the ocean. We look forward to the many years to come that God gives us with each other.