Summer Fun

We had a very relaxing 4 day weekend which was much needed! We spent the weekend at home so we were able to visit with some friends and get some things done around the house. Not to mention the following things (in no particular order)...

We did lots of this...

Enjoyed way too much of this...

And celebrated by watching this...

I hope you enjoyed your holiday weekend!

A weekend in Chatty!

After being out of town 5 out of the past 6 weekends, we were both really looking forward to staying here this weekend. We had quite a busy weekend, here are some of the highlights:

We celebrated the marriage of our friends Allison & Blake. We have met them through our small group at church and have really enjoyed getting to know them and watching their relationship progress from dating to now husband and wife!

The bride in her cute "getaway" dress

Some of our small group with the bride

Girls from Bible Study

Saturday night, Ben surprised me by taking me to my favorite restaurant in the Chattanooga area. Actually, it may be one of my favorites period. The food and service are awesome but the best part is you can bring your own wine (no corking fee)! The only downside is it's on the top of Lookout Mountain, which means you have to eventually drive down the mountain to get home.

After dinner, we drove through Cloudland Canyon State Park since we were really close. This is somewhere I've been wanting to go hike and after seeing it I am even more excited about going back. The views were breathtaking!

The weekend ended with a party for Ben's grandmother, who is now a published author! She was a professional storyteller and it has always been her dream to have one of her books published. She chose to publish her book about the women of the bible first. She is already making plans to publish more. It has been really good for her to stay busy and she is enjoying every minute of it! So, Ben's mother hosted a book signing party for her at their house. She had so many dear friends that came out to show their support!

On a side note, her publisher told her she was their only client who did not have an e-mail account. Therefore, all of the drafts/revisions were sent via snail mail :) Ben had to explain to her many times the importance of having a website to promote her book.

There is never a dull moment...even weekends when you stay at home!

In summary...

It is hard to summarize everything that has happened over the past year in just 1 post but I will try to hit the high points. After our honeymoon in St. Thomas, we moved (really I was the only one moving because Ben was already here) to Chattanooga and lived in a 1 bedroom 900 sq ft condo downtown. Needless to say it was cozy but it was an awesome location. Chattanooga has a beautiful downtown! We lived there for 3 months until we bought our first house! Being a homeowner is still surreal to me...I have never signed my name so many times in one sitting. After 4 months of job searching, I was finally able to find a job in my field. In our spare time, we have been busy celebrating with our friends who are getting married or having babies or we are traveling to see family and friends. Sorry for the lack of pictures, see previous post :)

The Ritz-Carlton in St. Thomas

Our First House {pictures taken before we moved in}

The wood railings are not there any more {just needed for inspections}

Dining room/Foyer

Formal Living Room

Back Porch with fireplace :)

Master Bedroom

Kitchen