John Rock Loop Hike

The beginning of the hike

So this blog is a day late, but at least it's up here. :) Yesterday a couple of friends and I went hiking up to John Rock. None of us had never done this hike before, so we didn't know for sure what we were getting ourselves into. Man, was this hike amazing though. We hiked through the "wilderness" and up to an amazing view even though it was really cloudy. It's a 5 mile hike, but so worth the effort. I am sore today and have a blister, but that's okay. Here is a little picture story for you from our hike.

Loved the tree trunks

Fairy hats as my friend Amber called them

Pretty waterfall on hike

There were lots of mushrooms and fungi growing everywhere.

My friend Amber. She's so sweet and fun!

Pretty creek

My friends hiking in front of me.

More cool fungi.

There were tons of roots like this that ended up being like steps for us.

The view of Looking Glass Rock from the top of John Rock. Amber and I did the 6.5 mile hike to the top of Looking Glass Rock a couple of weeks ago.  

Amber and Me

Amber taking in the view. She was braver than me and got close to the edge.

More of the view. It was really overcast.

Trees on the way back down.

My other friend hiking in front of us down the mountain.

This was such an amazing hike. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good, more difficult hike. It's completely worth it. We're going to do it again when the leaves start to change more.

Beautiful Autumn Sky

So, I absolutely adore where I live. I think you can see why by the pictures below taken this morning in my yard. I love being able to wake up to amazing views like this. So thankful that I get to live here!

Beautiful Fall Morning

So, this morning has been absolutely gorgeous outside. I was up before the sun, and man I am so thankful for that. We've had storms the last several days, and this morning the clouds have started to clear out. I always love it when storm clouds are clearing out at sunrise or sunset b/c it's always so beautiful. So here are some pictures I took this morning in the pasture in front of my house. You can't actually see the sun b/c the mountain  blocks it, but you can see what the sun is doing to the clouds. So amazing! God is so creative, and I love his artwork. The sky in most of these pictures is completely unedited, thank you graduated neutral density filter. :) Enjoy!!!

Fall Has Arrived in the Mountains!

(the above image is one I took during fall peak a few years ago)

So the last two days have been amazing. Temperatures have finally cooled off here in the mountains (highs in the low 60s). I absolutely adore this time of year! It has to be my favorite. Today has been rainy and cool, but I'm okay with the rain. We've needed it so badly, and I'm really hoping the rain causes us to have some beautiful fall colors this year. Well, since this weather has me so giddy, I decided to go buy some pumpkins and gourds and some locally made apple cider. I also decided to make chili today, one of my favorite fall foods. So in honor of fall, I've decided to share some photos of my fall decorations and the deliciousness that was the cider and chili I made today. :)

 My female scarecrow.

 The gourd and one of the pumpkins I bought.

Some of the decorations in the house. 

                                                    

 More decorations in the house.

Chili and cider....yummy!

                                                  
 Our mantle all decorated for fall. :D

 Yeah, I have hot mulled cider in this cup. Soooo delicious!!!!

And ending with my little scarecrow man. :)

Sophia

This is my beautiful niece Sophia. I came up to Louisville, KY for her birth, and she is just so sweet! She is the easiest baby I've ever worked with. Maybe because I'm so comfortable with her, but I don't think so. She was so easy to pose and just precious. Here are some of my favorite pictures from our first session together b/c I promise you there will be more this week. :) The last photo is of my nephew with Sophia...he loves his baby sister. :)