Wow, I have gone from someone who really loved to blog to someone who can't get motivated enough to write anything down. It's just been a tough year. In fact, I told a good friend recently that I have officially declared 2011 as our worst year ever. From January until now, it's been one thing after another...serious personal issues, the death of Brandon's grandpa (my own grandpa passed away in December), Brandon losing his job, my dad had another heart attack, me wrecking (well, denting) our car...I could go on and on! The latest in a long line of bad news for our family is finding out Brandon's father has cancer. We truly are living in "critical times hard to deal with," and this year it seems like our family has taken hit after hit.
Anyway, I didn't start this post to complain or whine...just wanted to throw that all out there for an excuse, as it were, as to why I've been so quiet on here. I want to do better. I want to enjoy blogging again. I have things to say! I want to share! And I need to focus on the positive things anyway! :) After all, there have been good things that have happened this year too. I want to focus on those!
For instance, just a few weeks ago, we went camping with some of Brandon's family, including his dad, at
Fall Creek Falls State Park. We had never been there before, but we definitely want to return. It is a beautiful park, and we really enjoyed ourselves, especially being with family! We love camping, and the weather was perfect for it. It was a little chilly at night, but we had heaters and the dogs to pile in the bed with us, so we made it just fine! Here's a pic of Brandon and his dad on our hike down to the cascades:
This past weekend, we met the majority of Brandon's immediate family (only his dad & step-mom, his older brother & his kids, and our niece & nephew in Kentucky were missing) in Townsend, TN, for a brief getaway in the Smoky Mountains. If I'm counting correctly, there were twenty-six of us, with the majority staying in two different houses, just down the road from each other. The leaves were gorgeous, and even though we were all still reeling from the shock of the news we had just received and wishing their dad were with us, we enjoyed ourselves. There were stressful moments to be sure, but that time together is just what everyone needed. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip:
Early Morning in Cade's Cove
Abby & Brandon with our Nephews, Jayden & Evan
Brandon with His Brother, Tyler, and All 3 Sisters
Another Adorable Nephew, Landon
Us at an Overlook on the Roaring Fork Motor Trail
So there it is...some bad stuff, some good stuff...but it's out there. I hope to do better about staying updated in the future!
Early Saturday morning, I headed to Tupelo for the annual Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure. I had signed up on a co-worker's sister's team, and so I met up with them at 7:30 for a team photo, and then some of my friends & I set off for the starting line. They had these cute pink wigs and funky sunglasses...I loved them! They brought me some pink feathers to wear so I wasn't left out. :) We've decided next year we should form a team together and wear some fun costumes.
