Virginia Creeper Trail

We had a great time this weekend biking on the Virginia Creeper Trail with Jimmy, Tina, Korinne & Luke. It was our first trip but one that we hope to repeat. The 17 mile section that we rode was beautiful. The trail is an old railroad bed that winds down from Whitetop Mountain through a national forest alongside a river. The trail also passes through some private property with Christmas trees, hayfields and some neat old barns. One other highlight from the trip was hiking in Grayson Highlands State Park. The rhododendron were in full bloom and the views were great! We also got to see a couple of groups of wild ponies.

17 Years!

Today Jeffery & I celebrated our 17 year anniversary with dinner at 131 Main located next to the Regal Cinemas in Biltmore. Dinner was delicious! If you go, make sure to try the strawberry shortcake........YUM! We look forward to going back. We have been blessed with a wonderful marriage and despite the stress from our recent tragedy, we are closer than ever.

Dance Recital

Last weekend, Haley completed her dance year with recital. She did a great job! She started dance lessons in November after taking a break for a few years. I know Kyla would have loved it too! We missed our little ballerina....just like we do everyday.

7 Months

Hard to believe it's been seven months since Kyla died. Jeffery & I were talking at lunch yesterday.....it seems just as fresh as the first month or so. Sure, you get back to work and daily activities but sometimes the pain can literally take your breath away. I'm sure people know this (despite the appearance of getting back to life) but we still miss her soooooo much. Sometimes I just look down the hall expecting her to come running with that big smile saying "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!" as she would do so often when I came home from work.

When I woke this morning, it's the first thing I thought of.....it's been seven months today. On my way to work I heard a wonderfully encouraging song, "Our Hope Endures", by Natalie Grant (God has a way of knowing what we need!). I'm including a portion of the lyrics below....maybe it will be an encouragement to you.

"You would think only so much can go wrong

Calamity only strikes once

And you assume this one has suffered her share

Life will be kinder from here

Oh, but sometimes the sun stays hidden for years

Sometimes the sky rains night after night

When will it clear?

But our Hope endures the worst of conditions

It's more than our optimism

Let the earth quake

Our Hope is unchanged"

Despite our circumstances, I know God still loves us and our Hope in HIM endures.

Nebraska Turkey Hunt

Got an 18 lbs. Merriam gobbler in Maxell, Nebraska last Friday, with 2 hours left in a 3 day hunt. We hunted a 12,000 acre cattle ranch that seemed to have turkeys in every canyon. I had several opportunities to harvest a bird but was the last one of the four who went on the hunt to connect.

Pictured below are Chris & Nathan Whitmire who both got gobblers on the second day of the hunt. Nathan's grandfather, Bud Whitmire, also went and got a bird on the first day.

The twenty hour ride home sure was a lot better since we each got a turkey!

Haley pitches her first game!

With softball season winding down, Haley got to pitch her first game tonight. She was so excited! She did great and even made a double play. Her courage to try something new was inspiring. Once when she was up to bat, she turned to her dad and said, "Even if I don't get a hit, this will be the best day ever!" Tonight we are thankful for that moment of joy...

Happy Birthday to Haley!

Haley recently celebrated her birthday with a trip to Hollywild. It's hard to believe she's already 11! At her party, she got to hold a small pig (nana was worried she was going to catch swine flu but so far, so good). Haley had a wonderful day with all of her friends. Each year is a blessing that we WILL NOT take for granted!