Teton Crest Trail preparations!

This weekend we went on a MEGA shopping trip to Kyle's favorite store of all time -- R.E.I. to buy necessities for our Teton Crest Trail hike in Wyoming. Kyle had made a list earlier that morning of our main things, and even though it was a lot to buy at one time, we'll definitely use it ALL! They were having a 20-30% off sale, so we did get good deals on most everything.

So what was on our list this time?
- 2 light weight mini towels (in the picture on the bottom left)
- hiking socks
- new hiking boots for Leah!
- new hiking boots for Kyle -- just ordered some online!
- water filter (decided to go this route instead of tablets)
- fuel for our stove
- 2 waterproof pack covers (they are elastic and just wrap around your pack)
- topographical map of the trail
- LOTS of granola bars, beef jerky, mountain house meals (all to try and see if we like!)
- bikers, visors, polarized sunglasses, dry fit shirts (there are really no trees that high up = no shade... it will be HOT)

And the biggest news of all WE BOOKED OUR TICKETS!! Luckily we got them completely for free as Kyle had enough points for both of us!! Can't believe it's only 2 months away!

(Okay now, if any of you guys can read my mind... 2 months is NOT that far away and I was starting to get worried about being able to keep up with Kyle. I BEGGED Kyle for a treadmill so I could walk everyday... and he surprised me with one a couple weeks ago!! I wanted it right in our living room (even though it is so hideous in there and would look much better in the garage) so I could watch tv and get distracted while exercising. So far it's been working out great, and I'm now up to 4 miles a day at different inclines and speeds. I'm trying to break in my new shoes, and will soon put on my pack with weight in it. I know if I keep this up I'll be able to do the trail no problem! I know you've already imagined me walking on the treadmill in your head so I'll leave you with this.... oh what a terrible picture I know.)

Jen and David's Wedding!

One of my close friends from work, Jen, and her fiance, David, tied the knot this weekend! The wedding started at 7:00 and the weather was PERFECT! Not too hot, but a little overcast = beautiful for pictures! It was held at the Windermere golf club Golf Club in Cumming, GA.

Lacey, me and Andrea:

All the work girls: (me, Lacey, Andrea, Laura, Donna, and Christina)

I helped design her programs and table numbers!

The arbor behind them David made!Lovely favors huh? Wonder where she got them from-- oh that's right our work!

Her cake was absolutely delicious. Top layer was strawberry, then vanilla & lemon, then chocolate and oreo!

Marketing/Product girls with Jen!

Sparkler Send off!Kyle and I:

We are so happy for Jen & David. Have a BLAST on your honeymoon in Riviera Maya!

Cabaret at the Strand!

On Friday night, Kyle and I walked up to the Strand (the newly renovated theater on the square where Elvis and Shirley Temple have performed) on the square for the broadway show CABARET! It's all local artists that put it on (not traveling broadway series) and it was actually really good!
We had never been inside before, and it's very nice! On the back of every chair, were names of people who made donations to help with the renovations. It was a fun night!

Congratulations Cory & Mada!

This past weekend, our friends Cory and Mada got engaged!! Cory has been planning it for months now and it couldn't have happened any more perfectly. Last Friday Cory took Mada to the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC for a surprise Spa day. After she returned from the spa she found a note from the "Grove Park Inn" (hmm wonder who made that?! :) ) that directed her to get dressed (in the clothes that he secretly brought for her) and then call the front desk to be escorted downstairs to Cory. He proposed on a terrace overlooking a beautiful waterfall and the grounds of the Grove Park Inn, and I absolutely love all the pictures they got!

HOW CUTE!

I LOVE this one... Congrats you two, we are so happy for you!!

Michi and Rance's Wedding!

Last weekend we headed up to Candler, NC for our friends Michi and Rance's wedding! Kyle and Michi have known each other since 6th grade, and remained friends since then. They held everything at this place called "The Farm", and the whole facility was so beautiful. We all sat outside for the ceremony and then the reception was held a couple feet away in here:

Here is Michi coming down the aisle:

They had a beautiful harpist playing before and after the ceremony, and I loved the lanterns hanging from the gazebo behind them:
Next was the reception. Now Michi's mom is Japanese and her dad is Indian, so it was a big mix of cultures there. SO first they celebrated in the Indian way, and I love Michi's change in outfits:
At one point Rance (who is from Asheville) looked at her and said "this is great" as he's in a full skirt doing all these rituals. It was absolutely adorable! Then one of her cousins performed an Indian dance... I of course LOVED IT!

Next was the Japanese part of the reception. They had a friend come to perform the "drum" solo... very very cool!

After those they did the father/daughter and mother/son dances. Their cake was absolutely delicious, with each layer being different flavers!

Here is Kyle with his friends Michi and Jon, great friends from highschool

Kyle with Katie, another friend from Apex highschool, that I got to know while at Appalachian

And here is the whole highschool group together with Michi:

Very fun wedding, so glad we got to be a part of the celebration!
We love Michi and Rance!

Nantahala Outdoor Center

Last Saturday, we stopped at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (in Bryson City, NC) on our way to Candler, NC for a wedding. It was a beautiful day and the river was full of groups going down in kayaks and rafts. Kyle and I did a bit of shopping in the store for more outdoor workout clothes for our trip, then headed on a hike ourselves. The Appalachian Trail passes right through NOC's property, so we hiked on that trail for a little bit. Since we had a wedding to make it to that night we didn't hike that far, but it was still uphill and got our hearts pumping! We hope to go up there again -- it's a very cool place! (And here is our wonderful self-timer photo haha)

Dog sitting Bella

A couple weekends ago, Kyle and I volunteered to watch Bella, a golden retriever 7 month old puppy, for the weekend. I work with her owner, Angela, and was very excited to have another dog in the house! They got along great, Tyson loved having a playmate!
The first night we brought them to the dog park to get some energy out and play before we went bowling with Chris and Kathleen. It was a lot of fun, we actually really do love bowling- haha! Who knew that Friday night would be half price games AND disco night?!

The tough Arnold team, that ended up whooping our butts out there:

Kyle and I are trying to act tough, but we just didn't cut it:

Group shot:

On Saturday we took the dogs to Red Top Mountain, to hike on some trails along there. Bella heels just like Tyson, and when let off the leash will stay right by you so it was really fun. We took them swimming, which Bella had never done before. As you'll watch in this video, she learns VERY fast and had a blast trying to chase the stick with Tyson!

By the end we had ourselves two VERY tired doggies!

Wordless Wednesday: Chasing Tails

"I don't know what this black thing is that Puck has on his backside...
might as well swat at it all day everyday..."

Family Laughs

These past couple weeks, being at home on and off for Grandpa we did manage to have some fun things happening as well. The twins are medicine for anybody, always dressing up or saying something adorable. Tara was gracious enough to let me stay at her house the entire time, so I definitely got in some major twin time! Thank you Tara!!!

Here they are going to the "grocery store"... they are decked out!

We also had a picnic one afternoon before visiting Grandpa in the hospital.
They are just too cute:Natalie's 'smile':

Getting ready to go to their first swim lesson!

We also got the chance to put in Natalie's FIRST pair of pigtails!
Aren't they just adorable?

One afternoon I slipped away to go meet my best friend Sara for lunch. We ended up talking for 3.5 hours in a Panera! Her son, Ethan, is absolutely adorable as you can see below. Sara I needed our time more than you know, thank you for being such an amazing friend, always being there for me!!
And finally one night while all the family was over at Grandma's, the guys found Grandpa's yo-yo collection. He was the official "yo-master"- haha. It was hilarious watching all the guys competing against one another with all their tricks. Grandpa would have been laughing so hard!

Grandpa's Funeral

Grandpa's Funeral was last Wednesday at 11:00 am, held in the Stony Hill Family Life Center in Wake Forest, NC. Jamie led the funeral service, which made it so much more personal and special. We watched a slideshow of pictures that Tara and I put together, sang some of Grandpa's favorite hymns, and Jamie read a page my mom had written about her dad and all the things she'll remember most about him.

Here is the slideshow, man do we love these pictures!
(for some reason the transparencies and fades aren't working, but you get the drift)

Jamie put together a top 10 things you need to know about Grandpa, and they helped us all smile so I thought I would share them with you!
1) His birthday was August 11th... you couldn't get close to anyone in the family without knowing that date!
2) His favorite team was the Florida State Seminoles- Garnet and Gold all the way!
3) If you even wore the colors of the "gators" (blue and orange) he wouldn't let you in his house.
4) Don't mess with his Park Avenue-- that thing only went out in the best weather.
5) You have to love cats, especially his named "Sheba".
6) His doorbell rang "Dixie", as he was a true man of the South.
7) Always remember to pray for our troops.
8) He could eat unlimited amounts of Ice cream.
9) He always used sported items (coffee cups, shirts) that read "World's Greatest Grandpa"... some he even bought for himself!
10) He was a Trained Killer and called himself this often, although he would never hurt a fly.

After the service ended, the 6 grandchildren - David Mathis, Jeff (Summer's husband), Ben, Nick, Kyle, and David (Sarah's husband)- were the paul bearers and carried Grandpa's casket out to the hearse. It was so special to have the 6 of them carrying grandpa.

Here is a picture of 5 of them, missing David:

As we all walked from the Family Life Center to the Grave Site, Grandpa wanted there to be bag pipes playing... so we did. It was absolutely beautiful, and so neat to hear them. Once we all were sitting, the flag honor began. My grandpa proudly served his country in the U.S. Army and retired as a Chief Warrant Officer after 21 years of service. The soldiers meticulously folded the American flag that was laying on his casket, and then presented it to my Grandma. As Taps was played on the trumpet, they stood soluting my Grandpa. It brought tears to all of our eyes, and was so special. The last thing that Grandpa wanted included in his service, was for this specific lady to sing "Dixie" (he had heard her sing at another funeral). She came all dressed in a Southern costume and sang a beautiful acapella version of Dixie for Grandpa. All the paul bearers took their flowers off their suit jackets and laid them on the casket, which were burried with him. We all then headed back to the Family Life Center for a reception, as the "Helping Hands" ministry from Stony Hill had prepared a delicious meal for the family and guests to eat. It was a wonderful service, one that truly captured Grandpa's personality and spirit.

Thank you to everyone who supported my family through bringing over food, coming to the services, donating money, or sending flowers. We can not thank you enough, your prayers and encouragement meant the world to us.

My grandma with her three kids:

Grandma with all the grand and great-grand children:

All of our family who came in town to celebrate his life:

I was so blessed to have had a special bond with my grandpa all growing up, one that I will never forget. It makes me so sad to think our kids will not have the chance to meet him here on earth, but they will be told many stories and see tons pictures to make up for it! What an amazing man. Love you grandpa.