AL Visit

 Our first visit to the newlyweds in Birgmingham, AL!

Their house is near the interstate in a cute townhome subdivision.

They did a nice job decorating it! Very comfortable and elegant.

Nearby is a outdoor community park where we enjoyed a nice walk. 

The park offered surprises like this wooden teepee. It also had a bonsai garden and an outdoor wedding venue.

Ashlyn is a great cook (always has been since she was little), so her meals were delicious! 

While she was inside, Alex was working on his car with Eric. 

The next day, we headed to another park that boasts the largest cast iron statue in the world to pay tribute to the city's steel heritage.

Overlooking Birmingham.

Another great trail to get some exercise.

That evening, they took us to a unique ice cream parlor run by a Catholic family. There's a dress code and a code of conduct to enter. The place was all lit up with lights on the trees, had the most beautiful bathrooms like the Sistine chapel, and played soft Christian music.

After we got our ice cream, we sat at tables that made you feel like someone special.

We eventually had to head out so they could prepare for their busy week ahead. On our way to Huntsville, we detoured to see the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Just driving in was pretty amazing!

Once through the elaborate gates, we were in awe of the size of this church. We were not allowed to take pictures inside, but it was gorgeous. This is actually a monestary.

On the opposite end of the circular grounds is a gift shop in the design of a castle.

We continued on our journey to visit friends from college, Keith and Lou Ann Siddall. They were gracious hosts with a home decorated to the T with all things fall, including a Texas Tech pumpkin.

I couldn't make a stopover in Huntsville without visiting NASA. It was a Monday morning and perfect for low crowds.

A simulated 'command center' for jet propulsion testing.

We had fun without the lines to take photos!

The last Saturn V rocket to check off our list: only 3 exist and now we've seen them all. One is at Johnson Space Center in Houston, the other is at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Our coolest take-a-way was the many conversations with NASA engineers and scientists who were on hand to tell us about their 40-year work history on projects they helped to design and discoveries made. For once, I had to pull Eric away! 

PVHS Fall Pics

It's impossible to capture photos of every activity our Little is involved in, so I'm grateful for the school's social posts. Here are a few where she was pictured:

Homecoming Week: Wear your favorite team jersey day at school.

Student Council - her class had to decorate their hallway with a Minions Theme, then create a Homecoming float as well. Vector was the villian in Despicable Me.

Beta Club Trunk or Treat: Jumanji Themed - Her group won 2nd overall!

Halloween Strings Concert: With her blonde hair and pink glasses, why not go as Barbie!

Birthdays & Such

 With a busy few months, here are some activities that didn't get their own blog post:

1) Eric's 53rd Birthday - He wanted it Barbie-themed with a German-chocolate cake after the Barbenheimer memes. We got creative on the candels.

He got up early and drove to Greenwood just to eat a Shipley's donut.

Then enjoyed opening up all his gifts.

2) Greenville Drive baseball game - GE had their employee appreciation event at the baseball stadium, complete with all the fanfare food!

3) Octoberfest in downtown Greenville - Always a fun event with plenty of beer, pretzels, and polka music.

4) Luke's 24th Birthday - a dinner at the Brazillian Steakhouse.

5) And finally, a community event at CAN Talks. This is one of the birthday gifts to Luke each year. 

Rainbow Falls

The Little One and I had the past two weeks by ourselves as Eric had to be in Cincinnati for work. We enjoyed a clean house, quiet reading time, and hikes. Our hike was to Rainbow Falls in Jones Gap State Park.

The hike was an in/out moderate 4 mile hike, and rated as the 2nd best trail in South Carolina. The first ranked trail was Table Rock, and we had already done that one several times.

It started out level with easy hiking for the first mile or so. But halfway in, the steepness of the "moderate hike" showed it's true colors. I was lagging behind and gasping for air once we started ascending.

The destination was worth it! While we didn't see a rainbow from all the water mist, the falls were still beautiful!

It was a great workout and the perfect getaway from the office on a late Friday afternoon.