Chugganooga

I have been wanting to take Major to Chattanooga for at least a year now and last week we got our chance. We just spent one night, but had so much fun. We there on a Sunday mid-day and checked into our hotel and then went to the aquarium. We had a ton of fun, even though Major ran through most of it. That night we walked to dinner then back to the hotel for swimming. On Monday, we had a difference of opinion about where we wanted to go but because we were there and it is harder to do Rock City and Ruby Falls in a day trip, we went there instead of the Creative Discovery Museum. I am thinking we may make a day trip on M's bday for that one. Anyway, we were the first ones at Rock City and pretty much had it to ourselves. It was a perfect and beautiful fall day and a great way to spend the day together. After we left Rock City, we went to Ruby Falls. Neither Josh nor I had been there before. It was different than I thought it would be, but still really neat. The story behind Ruby Falls was the best part. Major was a little restless during that trip bc you are 1100 ft underground, in a cave, for an hour and a half. You have to walk in a straight line and there isn't any room to run which is not Major's style! After Ruby Falls though, I really wanted to grab a quick lunch and take it to the river front for a picnic. I am really glad we did that. Chattanooga, or as Major called it, Chugganooga, was so much fun. The city was very kid friendly, it was easily accessible, and very clean. 2 days really wasn't enough time to really enjoy all of it, but we will definitely be back. Here are a few highlights of our trip:

Headed into the aquarium

 My 2 favorite people

 Playing in the water fountains and river

 Swimmy boys

 Good Morning Rock City

 Haha!

 I love these 2

 Ruby Falls

All in all, a great little getaway. We will definitely be back Chugganooga!

5k

Today Josh and I ran our first 5K together in honor of our nephew Sam. I would say that neither of us are runners but Josh would disagree. He says "we ran didn't we?". Anyway, he runs more than I do because of training at the academy and when he is on shift. I am not one of these people that really loves to run. Actually, it is painful and I don't love it at all, but I was completely inspired by some special people today. I would love to have those long, lean legs of a runner and make running look easy, but that's not me. My legs feel like concrete blocks when I run and it's not fun for me at all. I am happy though that I did the race and that I finished with a decent time. It wasn't great at all, but it was a start. Maybe next year I will not eat Mexican food the night before and will actually run a mile or two to practice. :) Here is our pre-race pic via Major:

and thanks to pinterest here's what I actually looked like when I was running:

 Haha! The important thing is that we went out there and ran and raised some money for our sweet nephew's foundation.

Happy Fall, Y'all

October/early November is officially my favorite time of the year. I look forward to it all year long. As soon as I see pumpkins I jump up and down like a little kid at Christmas!!!! I love this time of the year. Obviously the weather is amazing, but so are the colors, the smells, and the food. It's a time of reflection and a time for gratitude for me. This time of the year I am constantly reminded of God's amazing grace and the beauty in every day. I can't help but to be happy this time of the year. I usually start decorating for fall in September but have kinda dropped the ball this year. :( I think tomorrow after church Major and I may go get a few things and get to crafting in the afternoon.

Here are a few things on the "for sure" to do list:

This is gonna be my centerpiece 

 And I have a set of these on the counter that I can't wait to fill

If I can find a plain ole welcome mat for a good deal, I want to make this too. I will probably do the K in brown or green though to match the pillows in the chairs on the porch

And now that walmart carries fabric, OhMuhGah, best news ever.....anyway, now that walmart carries fabric, I will probably run in an get a deal on some burlap to make this adorable pennant banner for my mantel.

So what do y'all love about the fall?