Life is Good

Recap time!

Over the past week we:

1. Hiked McAfee Knob and dined at The Homeplace
2. Went to a Salem Red Socks game with Chris' co-workers
3. Hosted a Flamingo Party
4. Celebrated a 40th Birthday at a block party cookout
5. Bought a new mattress
6. Witnessed a Clemson WIN against Auburn (on TV)!

How's that for one week? We're really loving it up here so far and finding plenty to keep us busy. Last Sunday we hiked McAfee Knob which is in Catawba  (about 30 mins from our house).  This is a pretty popular hike on the Appalachian Trail. It's 3.9 miles up and 3.9 miles down; the last mile up is the toughest (as they say). Once you get to the top, there is a fabulous view of the valley. There is a rock at the top that juts out and I had seen it on Google Images and my friend Megan Martin's blog when she and her husband, Mike, hiked the whole App. trail. Never in my life did I think I'd be one to sit out on the edge--I am TERRIFIED of heights. BUT, after hiking 3.9 miles up a mountain, I was determined to snap that famous picture! Here's proof.

Me and Chris - McAfee Knob

After our hike, we went to the popular restaurant called The Homeplace. It's a family style dining experience and the food is spectacular. We kinda pigged out...

The Homeplace

It was, to say the least, a wonderful Sunday. We have had some really fun adventures so far and it all just seems so easy to be here. That's not at all what I expected. I guess it really helps to have Chris experiencing it all with me.

To touch on a few more items from the "recap list" above, I really enjoyed meeting some of Chris' co-workers at the Red Socks game. Also, we hosted our first Flamingo Party on Friday. Flamingo parties consist of putting a pink flamingo out in your yard a couple days out to signal to the neighbors that you are hosting "happy hour(s)" on Friday. We had about 10-12 people show up (including some of the adorable kids on the street). Most of the time, everyone brings folding chairs and a few adult beverages and the party goes on until about 10pm. I must say, we had a really great time getting to know everyone and it was great to make use of our front porch. We have a pretty awesome, social block! (For those of you who know me best, you know I am already super excited for Halloween!!! We should have a lot of kids coming by!)

Sunday night The Harveys across the street hosted Mrs. Harvey's 40th birthday! They had family from all over drive up to join in on the celebration and the neighbors all pitched in to make it a huge success. Rev. Harvey baked her cake on the grill--I thought that was pretty cool. We got to meet more people who live on our street, too. You don't find many people in the world who are as sweet, fun, and welcoming as our neighbors have been. Again, we're SO blessed and SO thankful.

The last item on our list from the week was buying a mattress. I am absolutely ashamed to say that I have had the same mattress since middle school. It was high time to invest! (Just FYI--mattress shopping is pretty terrible. After you lay on more than 3-4, you just start to get them all confused/mixed up. Not to mention the fact that it's super awkward to lay on mattresses in a store.) We have been looking around for a few weeks but ended up giving in to the trend--we got a gel foam mattress (Sealy Optimum) and I cannot wait for it to be delivered this Thursday!  We will be working to complete our guest bedrooms in the next months now that we will actually have a bed in each room--YAY for more blogging opportunities!

Last, but certainly not least, our TIGERS WON! Chris and I ordered wings and had a very cozy night in together watching the Tigers pull out a "W." What a perfect addition to the week! Although it was very different to watch from our living room, we loved seeing them play so well. We've got a lot to look forward to this season and can't wait to see everyone for the Ball State game this coming weekend. 

I hope you're having a fantastic Labor Day! :)

Love,

The Social Butterfly