A trip down Memory Lane

We had a wonderful weekend spending time with family and extended family in the foothills of the Appalachians... the Smoky Blue Ridge. The kids are great, having gotten quite used to me taking constant pics of just general life, they are excellent about pointing out beautiful shot potential. This was one of those moments. I was absorbed in mountains and scenery... and the kids shout, take a picture this way in a minute... wait for it, wait for it. Kaboom!!!They were dead on!!!

It was a perfect weekend, the weather, the activities, the togetherness, the nostalgia... you see, back on July 26, 2008, my wonderful groom (well, at the time, bf) took me to this same exact location to make a very special Proposal... ahh, the memories (I'm getting ahead of myself here). When we arrived at the cabin, it all came rushing back, the sounds, the smells, the memories of one of the most beautiful weekends ever (our wedding weekend is number one!)

So I, of course, explored Aunt Liz's beautiful garden, which was absolutely amazing!! I won't get off on my flower tangent like last time, but I will share with you a few of my very favorites...
Aren't they just sensational?! It was a great opportunity to play with my new camera, and it got my inspiration juices flowing for when we are laying out our garden next year. By golly... I haven't shared anything about our garden this year. Well, that's another post. Anyhow, what was I saying??? Oh yes, the nostalgia of this mini-family reunion was enough to take my breath away many times, but the "New"ness of it was pretty awesome, as well. You see, we were visiting my wonderful groom's uncle's house, but his father was also there, and then, it was coordinated that one of the other brothers would come up from Miami for a special visit. We had 3 brothers together, as well as portions of their extended family. It was wonderfully heart-warming, and I was honored to be a part of that. There were kids galore, and everyone had a truly terrific time. We roasted marshmallows for S'mores at our cabin. We played cards. We hiked. We rode an ATV. We visited. We cloud gazed (oh, nevermind, that was just me.) We explored the swimming hole. We climbed. We laughed. We read. We ate. We cooked. We picked blackberries. We chased butterflies. We talked. We caught up. We had a truly GREAT time! It was precious... and of course, we visited my wonderful groom and my special spot, Dry Falls in Highlands, NC. My new camera did it justice... I think. :D
Have an amazing day... as I write this, I hear rumbles of thunder. :)
~Dewdrop