BLOG CHALLENGE #8: PHOTO OF WATER

Although it is nearly summer and I do have numerous photos of the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Michigan, as well as a bazillion photos of my kids playing in pools, indoor water parks, and rain puddles, I am going to post a couple of my favorite Fall water photos. We have so many beautiful State Parks in Indiana and Keith and the kids and I visit them often during the fall. The kids get a 4-day weekend in October as a Fall Break which also typically falls right around Keith's and my wedding anniversary. So we like to take the kids and head to southern Indiana to relax for a few days. The fall foliage is absolutely gorgeous. Of course, everyone else in the state thinks so too so October weekends at the State Parks can be quite crowded.

These first two photos were taken on one of our hikes through Clifty Falls State Park. Clifty Falls is located in Madison, IN. In college I had a sorority sister/housemate/best friend who was from Madison. I used to go home with her some weekends and fell in love with the town and the State Park. Madison is a small but beautiful river town that has a rich history. To view more of my photos from our trip click HERE.


























These next photos were taken at McCormick's Creek State Park. These are from a trip we took in October 2001. We stayed at the Inn at McCormick's Creek this time. It was beautiful. The atmosphere was very homey and we really enjoyed it. As I recall, it was stinking COLD that year. Very atypical for October in Indiana. We had to drive 20 minutes to a Walmart and buy long underwear, gloves, and ear bands so we could even hike. Luckily, I had taken the girls' winter coats. Even though it was cold, the girls had a great time hiking and horseback riding. Funny thing, we were the ONLY ones at the horse stable that weekend and believe me when I say those horses were not too cooperative. Even they thought it was too cold! In fact, the stable hand couldn't coax any of them into allowing riders. The girls ended up having to settle for a pony instead and even that pony had quite an attitude! It was pretty funny. For more photos of this trip click HERE.

BLOG CHALLENGE #3: SOMEONE/SOMETHING I LOVE

Here are my favorite "someones to love": my beautiful daughters, Caitlyn & Claire, my cutie-patootie son, Garrett and my handsome husband, Keith. These are the four people on this earth who can bring me incredible frustration and immense joy. Wouldn't want to do life without them.


Hmmm... and some things I really, really like (I'm trying to get out of the habit of using the word "love" when it's not really what I mean):

1. Orville Redenbacher's Tender White Microwave Popcorn. This is the most amazing popcorn - my absolute favorite! It is lighter tasting than yellow popcorn and the salt-to-butter ratio is perfect.

2. I've always wanted a red 1965 Ford Mustang convertible. My mom and my step-dad got me one for my 16th birthday. Too bad only GI Joe could fit into it. I recall unwrapping that small gift just sure there were car keys inside. But no, I actually found a whole car in there. Bummer. As a side note, I did end up getting a red Ford Mustang as my first car, but it was the newer 1985 version rather than the 1965 one and was not a convertible. Did I mention it was a stick shift? All my friends thought I had a cool car, but I was disappointed. I was an idiot.

3. Cade's Cove driving tour located in Smokey Mountain National Park, TN. If you ever get a chance to go there, do it. The first time we went was in mid-October, 1995. The weather was perfect so we could park the car and explore each area of the settlement. It was breathtaking! Plan on spending the better part of a whole day there. Cades Cove

4. Purple hyacinths are one of my favorite flowers. I just think they are so pretty and they smell great too. I'm always amazed by God's creations. God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars. ~Martin Luther

5. I am extremely fond of fried green tomatoes - yum! yum! They taste so good when they're made with fresh green tomatoes from our garden. I can eat them until I get a stomach ache. And just for good measure, here's a link to my favorite recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes: Recipe

6. One of my favorite vacations involved a little side trip to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. This was the home of the George Vanderbilt Family. It is amazing, especially when you think about the time period in which it was built. I mean, really. It is an 8,000-acre estate and the "house" has 250 rooms. This place has an indoor Olympic-sized swimming pool with a hallway of private changing rooms, bathrooms with flush toilets and bathtubs/showers, an indoor bowling alley, several kitchens, the most amazing stairways and so much more. The grounds and gardens are fabulous too. Plus, there is a winery and six restaurants on the property. We ate at the Stable Cafe. The atmosphere was pleasant and the food was very good. Plan to spend a whole day here too. No need to rush. There is just too much to see and appreciate. Biltmore Estate

So there you have it, a few people and things that I love and that make me happy. I'm sure I could list a few dozen more, but this will do for now. : )