Vacation Part 2

Day 5- We spent day 5 day tripping around the Smokey Mountains & Foothills Parkway area. We took a nice trail to the 

Juney Wank Falls, which is a stunning waterfall nestled in the mountains. We found some nice lookout areas along the drive, such as Dan's favorite, the Bunches Bald Overlook. Heehee~

Day 6-We slept in, which was AWESOME! Then we went to Look Rock in the Foothills Parkway, which had a beautiful view. Afterwards, we took Deals Gap "the tail of the dragon" (hwy 129) in our SUV to Fontana Dam. It was a beautiful view and fun to watch the crazy fast motorcycles zipping along those turns. For those of you that have no IDE what Deals Gap is, it is a road with 318 curves in 11 miles. I grew up riding on my parents motorcycle and sidecar rig, and my dad took us on that ride many times, so it a blast from the past to go on it once again. I can't wait to get on that website and see our SUV pic goading around those corners. Ha! People seriously make a living out of sitting along  Hwy 129 and taking pictures of vehicles driving on the road. Ha! 

Afterwards, we went to Fontana Dam and that was absolutely incredible! It is a hydroelectric dam that is the highest dam in the Eastern US. The kids were especially in awe of the concept of a dam. 

It's been really cool to show our kids all of these great beauties that the Smokey Mountain area has to offer! I'm so thankful for the Cozy Nest cabin that we are blessed to stay at every year! www.cozynestcabin.com

Tomorrow is going to be a long trip back home but I do miss our little Winston (dog) and there's no place like home. 

Goodnight friends!

Gatlinburg 2013 in pics part 1

We are on our annual Gatlinburg vacation  having a blast with the 4 of us. 

Day 1-We went to the Tanger Outlets and checked out the Columbia outlet store. Scored some good deals! 

Day 2-Spent the day at Dollywood! Love how nice every single employee is there! So many companies could take lessons in customer service from them (& Disney of course). Drove the Cade's Cove Loop. We actually got to pet horses up close. So cool!

Day 3-My childhood friend, who lives in Knoxville now, came down to see me. It was great to catch up with her. Such a true friend! Then we went downtown Gatlinburg and walked the strip and watched taffy being made. The kids loved it! 

Day 4-We went to the Donut Friar in the Village (downtown) for breakfast. This is seriously the BEST bakery! Then we went to Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokey's. This place is well worth it, as the exhibits are ALL very interesting and engaging for all ages! Then we went down the strip to browse some shops, got a couple souvenirs, and went back to the cabin to relax. After that we drove the arts and crafts loop, which I wasn't that impressed, but it was interesting to see. Then we drove the Roaring Fork Motor Trail and got out at some of the old landmarks. It was raining and Dan got stung by a bee, but we had a nice time. The kids LOVE the mountains and waterfalls! 

 Tomorrow we are going exploring in the Great Smokey Mountains...to be continued friends!

God Bless!

My Thursday OFF

Today I took the day off to focus on important appointments for my children. Here's a re-cap of my "day off":

1). Took Gabe in for his Speech Eval, in which they determined that he does in fact need speech. He starts speech therapy on Monday at Whispering Meadows.

2). Made lunch. Fed the kids.

3). Dropped Olivia off at preschool.

4). Went shopping for 2 birthday parties we are going to this weekend. 

5). Went to the McD's drive-thru to get a fountain drink & saw Angie Jurczak right behind me who also had the same idea while her daughter was at pre-k. LOVE ya girl!

6). Went to Olivia's preschool class so that I could be the "Mystery Reader" this week. It was so special to see the look on Olivia's face when she saw that it was me (& Gabe bc I brought him). I read them "You are Special" by Max Lucado, which is a favorite of Olivia's. 

7). Took Olivia to get her hair cut by Dylan at Pin-Up Curls. She has hair to her shoulders now and it's adorable! 

8).  Took the kids home and TRIED to clean house. Ha! Olivia begged to have a friend come over. I asked her who and she said that she wanted Julia Spoltman over. I texted her mom and she sent her down for an hour. The girls had fun playing with the dollhouse and they watched Care Bears. I love how well those girls play together. Julia is very polite and sweet with Olivia. Saw Kristin Dixon for a quick second. Love her caring heart!

9). Made dinner while Olivia & Gabe played. I then found Olivia asleep on the couch. Big day for her, plus this no nap thing is wearing in her.

10). Dan came home, we had dinner, baths, books, bedtime for the kids. Dan put together the kids trampoline in the basement. It is awesome!!

11). Now I'm finally able to put my feet up and boy does it feel nice! Goodnight friends, I hope your day was full of special blessings as well!

Sharing her LOVE for Christ with Others

I love watching Olivia's personality unravel. She truly is a good kid and I'm noticing more and more that even though I feel like I fail as a mom everyday, I'm obviously doing something right. 

Look at what she chose to bring to school for "C" share today? A Cross that she made in VBS. I love this sweetie!!

Our Tuesday in Pictures

1). We went to the downtown Allen County Vital Records office to get copies of my kids birth certificates bc I lost them when we moved. #momfail

2). Then we dropped O off at school and picked up Dan for lunch at McAllister's. Gabe is liking his special time while sissy is in school.

3). After school we went over to a neighbors house (Liliana)  for an afternoon play date. 

That's just what I took pics of, but it was a beautiful day filled with many blessings!

God bless each of you for being in our life. We love you and pray for you daily!

Meet the Teacher for Olivia

Today was Meet the Teacher at Olivia's preschool. She turned to me and said, "I LOVE school!" 

This melts my heart! Wednesday will be her official first day of school and I'm going to need many tissues. She's so ready though and I'm very happy for her. This will be really good for her.

~Until Wednesday friends...Peace~

Superb Saturday

This Saturday was so nice mainly because we totally didn't leave the house. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and you couldn't have asked for a more relaxing day.

We needed one of those after being on the go non-stop lately. 

Also, off subject but I had some time to reflect today about all of the blessings we've had over the past year. We've been able to sell our old house in 9 days, move into a beautiful new house in an amazingly friendly neighborhood, been able to help change lives by partnering with the doctors who created Proactive to help them launch their anti-aging line, Rodan+Fields, been able to reach out to new parishioners and help them feel welcome to our wonderful parish, and now on Wednesday Olivia starts pre-k, 4 days/week at St. E's. 

I'm beyond grateful for HIS abundant blessings and pray everyday that HE use me as a shepherd. 

Peace~

Melts my Heart

My babies are growing up! I took these pictures while they were sleeping tonight and be still my heart...blessings from God!

Friday Night Fun

Tonight we had some good friends, the Riemer's & Ottinger's over for for dinner and fun! It was such a nice time and I just love how well the kids play together. 

Both families will always have a special place in our hearts. They're so down to earth and genuinely good real friends. 

Life is truly too short, lets make the best of each and every day God gives us on earth by spreading HIS love and kindness!

Praise be to God!

Molly & Myles Visit the Fort 'O Fun

Today my littlest sister, Molly and her 1-month-old baby, Myles came to visit. Mom & dad came along to see us, too. We had a nice time together, playing outside on the swingset, Olivia rode her bike with Grandma Hunteman, and then we met Dan for lunch at McAllister's. 

After lunch we walked around Jefferson Pointe and checked out some stores (Mainstream Boutique, Von Maur, Old Navy, and Michael's). 

Then mom & dad took Olivia & Gabe back to the house to nap while Molly, Myles & I continued to shop. It was great sister/nephew time! 

Next time we will venture down to Indy and visit them, but we are glad they came this way today! 

Blessings,

Amy

Power of Prayer

This is just a post of thanks for answered prayers. The answers may not always be exactly what I want but it is all part of God's great plan! 

Thanks be to God! For God, friendship is laying down your life for someone else out of an abundance of love. 

Jesus laid down his life for us, and his command is that we follow his example. In prayer, that means we lay down our worldly passions and become preoccupied with God’s glory instead. That is what it really means to pray in the name of Jesus. 

Amen

8th Wedding Anniversary in Pictures

We celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary at Joseph Decuis. It was absolutely lovely! Highly recommend!