Fall Project #1...almost complete

**Note** This was supposed to be posted last week...saved in drafts.  Oh well.  :)

We successfully cut up my corner desk to make a 5' long rectangular desk top to fit in our little nook upstairs.  My office view is now our gorgeous view of the trees and mountain to my left and our 'art gallery' to the right.  I can look forward right over the balcony wall and see our M GO BLUE sign (and the TV if I shut the laptop).  I love my new office space!!!  Now we just have to clear out the corner it used to occupy (by the wood stove) and bring in the dining room table from the porch.

Of course, the weather is still nice enough that we ate lunch out there yesterday.  Maybe the table can wait a while longer.  We are also planning to do some painting, install a light fixture and move some more things around.  But my office is almost complete!  Just need to hook up the printer and get it tucked out of sight.

Yay for pictures!  Here they are...

The mushroom lamp will move soon (you can see it from downstairs), but we are looking into some rope lighting for under the balcony railing.  Should provide some nice atmosphere.  :)

New office space.  I love it!

View from my desk...not bad, huh?

8 years later...

...and all's well!  :)

Yesterday was our 8th wedding anniversary...and we spent the day going on a little road trip to Cloudland Canyon State Park in GA.  Took a picnic lunch and did a little hiking (very little).  The weather couldn't have been more beautiful and the fall colors are brilliant!  Here's a few pics from the day:

Not far from the cabin...

From the lookout at the hang gliding 'jump off' point

These leaves look painted, don't they?

Not that you can tell, but they have a pile of leaves raked up under the tire swing.  Classic.

The view as we are driving down our little road.

Fall afternoon at the cabin.

Already late...

Yes, you are correct.  I did miss a couple of 'weekly' updates.  The weather has broken into beautiful Fall temps (it's 53 now and our high will be 75...Mother Nature is in a good mood and so am I!) and work has been hectic.  Here are a few updates and I'll post some pics later today. (pics are here now!)
40x40:  2 more pounds drop kicked to the curb!  (pretty amazing since I haven't been to the gym in weeks...oops)
Crafties:  Haven't spent a lot of time on them, but they are on the agenda for today and tomorrow.  This is because I've been....
Halloween:  Getting my costume and party ideas ready for Halloween!!!  We are going to our first Halloween party (together) and I'm so excited about going gory!  I've never really done gory...had fun shopping at Spirit Halloween and getting some fun goodies (spirit gum, liquid latex, scar putty, fake blood...love it!)  A good friend of mine is also throwing a Halloween party and I'm trying to help her get all kinds of creepy ideas too.  If you follow my Pinterest you already know how busy I've been with my party ideas pinning.  :)    Love that crazy site.
Fishies:  They are now pets...since we got the fish back in April they have been feeding on plants and algae and ignoring any food I tried to give them.  Last week I noticed they were swimming around the plants, but not munching.  I gave the fish flakes a try...they gobbled them up!  Like they were famished...so I stood there watching...all the food was gone and I threw out some more...gone in minutes.  A few hours later I stood by the pond and all five fishies swam up to the top and circled until I threw some more food in...my little goldfish are trained!  Now they feel like pets and not just some fish that live in the pond.  Yay!

Time for some banana oatmeal and coffee to warm my bones before I get these doors open and get this day started.  Happy Hump Day!

Fishies eating

Power washing deck (look at all that dark stuff!!!)

Playing with the power washer

So happy with how this is turning out!

Trial #1 for zipper face...fun!

Started a new craftie today...this is the beginning of my burlap bubble wreath (as seen on Pinterest, of course.)

Let me know what you think!  :)

Fall! Glorious Fall!

On our 6th wedding anniversay (10/23), Lon and I had a wonderful day getting back out into our cute, little town. It's been a while! Breakfast at the Bluegrass Grill (highly recommend it!), fantasized about our future home on wheels at Camping World for a few hours, lunch at Blacksmith's Bistro and Grill, tastings at a local brewery (Moccasin Bend Brewing Co.), photo session through the pretty cemetery across the street (Forest Hills) and we finished the day with some delish cupcakes from Chattanooga Cupcakes (best we've had so far!) Such a fun day...but the only pics we took were of the pretty fall foliage in the cemetery! Here's a few shots...

October Update

What am I doing on this sunny, cool October morning, you ask? Well, right now I'm enjoying some tasty hazelnut/french vanilla coffee and updating my blog. This morning I got up and fixed open face egg sandwiches with spinach, tomato and avocado and a side of turkey bacon...YUM-MY! Lon left for a day of editing commercial shoots and I have a day of yoga, studying and whatever-else-comes-up ahead of me. It's 62 and gorgeous right now...our high might reach 80 today. Have I mentioned how much I love, love, LOVE fall??? Now I have. :)

Test 2 is down and boy, was it a doozie! It was all GI (gastrointestinal) and you wouldn't believe how much crap (ha, ha) goes on between the blow hole and the poop shoot! I passed, but with my lowest score yet...an 80. I'm making myself be happy with it, too...not everyone passed and it has the notoriety of being one of the more difficult exams. We'll see...still have two cardiac tests and one on endocrine/DM/trach care before the comprehensive final. BUT there is light at the end of this long, dark tunnel...the FINAL final (last test at Chatt State) is now LESS than 6 short months away!!! Woo Hoo!!!! That means the NCLEX should be in about 8 months (we have to wait for them to get our transcripts and contact us with approval to test, THEN we can schedule to take the exam.) Whew! I can not even describe to you how sick of studying I am. I am trying my hardest to keep my eyes on the prize. It is worth it, I know. This is the first step towards our big dream and I'm so excited to be so close to having one thing done and being that much closer.

Yesterday we received our first copy of betterRving.com magazine in the mail. It's a free publication from one of the larger RV supercenters (sales, repair, camping, classes, etc.) located in Tampa, FL. Eyes on the prize, right? We have visions of new territories to explore, good friends to visit, freedom, road trips, bike rides down forest paths, through 'tree tunnels', alongside brooks, streams and lakes, playing cards underneath a blanket of stars, trying new foods and new activities, meeting new people, learning a ton and enjoying every minute and what it has to offer. Ready to join us yet? I know this lifestyle isn't for everyone, but it sure does seem custom made for the two of us. So all of you out there...be prepared. We might just show up to say Hi, but don't worry...we'll bring our own bedroom. :)