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Georgia weekend explorations

You guessed it, another volleyball weekend and my random explorations…

We headed up to Suwanee, Georgia after work on Friday. I had made a dinner reservation for us at our favorite dinner spot there, Trattoria One 41. It is a very nice authentic Italian restaurant. Before dinner is served, they bring out a fresh bread with a tomato and cheese sauce that is delectable. I had the Short Rib Cannelloni and my husband had the lamb chops for dinner.

Short Rib Cannelloni

Both of us were ecstatic with our dinner choices. We were full, but made an attempt at dessert, a mascarpone cheesecake. Our attempt ended with a clean plate as the cheesecake was light, fluffy and delicious! It was a perfect end to a perfect meal.

We stayed in Suwanee because Saturday morning was an early start for volleyball and my husband had to be at the venue at 7:00 a.m. This also meant my explorations started early. I had researched good sunrise locations in Suwanee, but it was very foggy, so instead just went to a closer park to get out and get moving to start my day. I stopped at Sims Lake Park to walk. The park is located at 4600 Suwanee Dam Road. Sims Lake Park is one of Suwanee’s most popular parks; the 62-acre park includes a seven-acre lake and 1.2-mile looping trail.

My daughter goes to school in Dahlonega and our plan was to meet up for lunch, but I wasn’t sure when, so I decided to head closer to Dahlonega and see Amicalola Falls in the fog. Amicalola Falls never disappoints. It is a beautiful set of falls in Dawsonville, Georgia.

It is a magnificent 729-foot waterfall that’s the third-highest cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi River. There was a slight mist and it was pretty early, so the park was relatively empty compared to how I have seen it in the past. Having the park mostly to yourself is always the greatest experience because you can just bask in the beauty, take all the photos you want, and just listen to the water cascading down.

Top of the falls

While I was hiking here, my daughter let me know lunch would be at noon after she finished a lecture; I headed to another set of falls, Cane Creek Falls. When I arrived, it was marked closed to the public. I did read that when camp is in session, the falls are closed, so camp must have been in session. So I regrouped and found Lake Zwener; it has a trail that runs all around the lake. I hiked there until my daughter let me know she was ready for lunch.

We ate at Shenanigan’s Pub in downtown Dahlonega, then I dropped her back off at her apartment to finish lectures and studying.  I was back on my way.  I had quite a few Historic Rural Churches to explore, but I only made it to a few.  The first one I visited was Rockwell Universalist.

The Rockwell Universalist Church near Winder Georgia is a rural church built in 1881 in simple Greek Revival style. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. It was deemed architecturally significant as a “good example” of its type of post-Civil War rural churches, being a one-room wood frame church with no ornamentation and Greek Revival styling. It was also deemed significant as one of few Universalist churches ever to exist in the Georgia.

Rockwell Universalist Church

My next stop was planned to be Omer Christian Church, but while I was driving there, I came up on Ft Yargo State Park, so I decided to stop.  I felt like I could use a hike at this point as I felt a little stiff and needed to stretch my legs. 

Ft Yargo State Park boasts a 260 acre lake, camping sites, yurts, cottages and over 20 miles of trails. The Fort is a remarkably preserved log blockhouse that was built in 1793.

I hiked for a few miles and then decided it was time to get back on the road…so many things still to see.

I headed to Omer Christian. Omer Christian was organized and constructed in 1883. It was then moved to this location in 1910. It is located on a dead end and it is fenced off with No Trespassing signs. I respected those wishes, took a few photos from outside the fence and headed to the next church, Prospect Methodist.

Omer Christian Church

When I arrived at Prospect Methodist, a church that is still in use, there were people in the parking lot. Prospect Methodist is one of the oldest churches in post-Revolutionary War Georgia and its origins can be traced to the earliest rise of Methodism right after the war. It was organized in 1788. I drove through the parking lot, looked at the grounds and then headed toward Athens. I do my best not to disturb anything when I visit these historic churches, to include attendees. If there is an activity or church in session, I respect that and do not get out or photograph anything.

I arrived in Athens to view some of the Antebellum Trail homes. The Waddel-Brumby House is the Athens Welcome Center. Once I arrived here, it was around 3:00 p.m. I had mapped out quite a few more stops for the day, but I knew it was getting close to the end of the volleyball tournament. I was very tired too, so I decided to head back to the volleyball venue to watch the championship game and to get my husband. His team won 1st place in the Gold Bracket; this was the fourth Gold championship that they have won this year (4 out of 4). We are all extremely proud of the team, coaches and volleyball club for this great accomplishment.

But our weekend wasn’t over yet, we planned on heading to Evans, Georgia to celebrate a few family members’ birthdays. It was a nice time to see the family and be able to celebrate with them. Late Sunday afternoon, we headed back home.

On to the next weekend and more explorations.

XOXO

-S

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East Palisades Trail

Saturday started like most Saturdays during volleyball season…except, with COVID-19, there are multiple volleyball waves. Normally we are up and at em early, but my hubby’s team was in the afternoon wave. We headed out about lunch time. I dropped off my hubby at the venue and headed to my hiking spot for the day.

I have visited East Palisades in Sandy Springs before but as I drove in, it looked different. The road leading in was one lane and I knew I was at a different place than the last trip here. I parked and got out to check out the trail map, to see where my Waze had brought me. I arrived and parked at EP 19 of the East Palisade Trail. When I looked at the map, I was a little overwhelmed as I’m very directionally challenged. The map does not show distances between EPs, so I snapped a photo of the map and off I went, hoping for the best. My goal was to make it to EP 26 to see the bamboo forest. My last trip to East Palisades, I never made it to the Bamboo Forest, so today it was a must visit.

I ran into quite a few people on the trail and a lot of pups too. It was about 40 degrees, but after about half a mile I was warmed up, gloves and jacket off and I pressed on. At each EP, there is a trail map, which is helpful and made the hike less daunting trying to make it to EP 26 (the farthest point). Some of the trail is right along the Chattahoochee River and others you’re just along little trickling streams.

The trail has quite a few muddy spots, so be prepared with your footwear. One the way to and from the bamboo forest, I passed EP 16 where there was some sort of remains of a building.

Lookout

There was also a lookout where you could see the river from above and even some skyscrapers in Atlanta.

By the time I made it to EP 26, my Apple Watch said I had hiked 2.72 miles. I was so glad to have made it! The bamboo forest was beautiful and it was right along the river.

Bamboo Forest

I was concerned, as usual, and overthinking…so I didn’t spend too much time there, as I wanted to make sure I had plenty of daylight to make it back to the car without a hitch. On the way back, I found a different way and it was a little shorter than the path I took there. My total for the day was 4.7 miles so my return trip was only 2 miles.

I felt accomplished and was glad to have made it all the way today! Another Saturday exploration in the books!

Until the next one…keep staying safe, exploring where you can and loving life no matter what.

XOXO

-S

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Lula Lake Land Trust

We headed to Chattanooga this weekend to visit Lula Lake Land Trust on Look Out Mountain. We stopped in Chattanooga for lunch before the hike. The iconic Chattanooga Choo Choo was next door to where we ate, so I had to take a quick photo.

Chattanooga Choo Choo

We headed up to Lula Lake Land Trust. It is up on Lookout Mountain near Rock City. We had never been to Lula Lake, so we didn’t know what to expect. I normally research everything before hand, but all I knew about Lula Lake was there was hiking and a waterfall. I didn’t know how long the trails were or what difficulty they were…

The main route from the parking area to the trails is a gravel road. It is mostly flat, but are a few inclines. It’s about a two mile hike to get to the large waterfall.

To get down to the water fall was pretty difficult and steep…but there were some wooden steps, if you could call them that. The falls were very beautiful. There were quite a few people there. We sat on the rocks with our feet in the water to cool off a little and relax.

Lula Falls

There is also a smaller waterfall before the large one…we decided to check it out on the way out. The hike down was not as tough as the one at the bigger waterfall. It was very pretty and the water is a crystal emerald color. Only two other people were at this one though.

At Lula Lake Land Trust, you have to make reservations and pay before you go. They are only open to the public on certain days…so be sure to pre plan.

After hiking almost 5 miles, we were pooped and wanted a shower, so we headed to the hotel to check in.

We stayed at The Edwin Hotel. It was a tastefully decorated room. There was quite a bit of art and photographs around the entire hotel. Every piece had the artist information with it. That was a very tasteful touch making sure the artist was recognized.

For dinner, we had reservations at Whitebird. Whitebird is located in the Edwin Hotel. Our dinner choices and drinks were phenomenal, but our starter was just good…dessert, we had carrot cake, but it was very dense and we didn’t really care for it. The staff were very attentive and service was top notch. I would recommend Whitebird if you’re in the Chattanooga area.

The Edwin Hotel is located right at the foot of the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge. This bridge is one of my favorite spots to photograph in Chattanooga.

Last night was not like normal nights in Chattanooga for me. I had my camera and tripod in the room, but after all the hiking and full bellies from dinner, we just took a quick walk and I got a cell phone capture of the bridge.

Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge

We decided to stay in for the rest of the night…guess I just needed a night of relaxation.

Sunday morning, valet brought our car up and parked it in a spot that gave me a perfect opportunity to photograph LePetit with the bridge in the background. Then we hit to road to head home.

It was a nice getaway! Just what I needed. Until next time…

XOXO

-S

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Sprewell Bluff Park

Today I headed out to check out Sprewell Bluff Park in Thomaston, Georgia. I stopped to take some photos at the lookout (located right across from the store and before the gate where you pay your parking fee).
I went down to the Flint River for a while and just relaxed with my feet in the water.
Did a little hiking along the river before I had to head to the car…thunder claps warned me just in time. The rain started before I even got out of the park.
The sky was phenomenal though, before, during and after the rain. On my way home I stopped by Auchumpkee Creek Covered Bridge to take advantage of the clouds and blue skies…it was a quick stop as the rain couldn’t make up its mind and would start and stop at a moments notice.
I did however get plenty of time cruising with the top down and got some exercise in with beautiful scenery.
It was a nice day to get out of the house and explore.
Get out there! Explore until your heart is content.
Until my next adventure.
XOXO
-S
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Wandering around Atlanta

Today was a wandering day…had to go to the airport this morning to drop off my son, so I figured since I had to take the day off, I might as well put it to good use! First I headed to Cartersville to see the abandoned airplane (G-159 Gulfstream). It is covered in graffiti inside and out. There are still seats in tact albeit mismatched seats. It has been in the elements for over 15 years and you can tell! It is absolutely fabulous though as I love to photograph things that are in decay.

This was my only intended spot to explore today, but quickly found more things nearby. After I explored the airplane, I headed to High Shoals Falls. Today, surprisingly it seemed just like a trickle, and we’ve had a decent amount of rain recently. I have seen photos where much more water is flowing over the edge.

There is a small parking area and cemetery there at the trail head. You can also hike up to the top of the waterfall.

I drove through Kennesaw Mountain on my way to Sope Creek Mill Ruins. It was a short half mile hike in. I had read that due to tree growth you couldn’t really photograph the ruins, but the way I hiked in I had no problems. The ruins were surprisingly not fenced in and were not defaced. Hopefully this beauty will be able to be enjoyed for quite a lot longer. There were quite a few families hiking in to play in the river and were already quite a few splashing around when I got there.

I headed back south after Sope Creek…the clouds were so beautiful, so I stopped at Jackson Street Bridge to get a skyline shot with the phenomenal sky! It did not disappoint.

A short day walking wise…only about 2.5 miles total, but saw quite a bit. Was a successful wandering day!

Live, Love, Explore!

XOXO

-S

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Live a little deeper! Explore everywhere.

Any reason to travel and I am all on board. I have my life list, which shows my must see locations and must do activities, but actually, I am happy to travel anywhere to explore. I even believe strongly in exploring local. No matter where you are, make sure to see something new. It is easy to capture something extraordinary, but the key to true joy is finding something extraordinary in all the things that seem ordinary.

My husband is a volleyball coach and had a tournament in Villa Rica, Georgia (about 2 ½ hours from home). So we decided to get a room at a Bed & Breakfast for two nights and have the whole weekend to explore the surrounding areas. Well at least I got to explore Saturday while he was coaching.

We booked the Marie Antoinette Room at Maison Papillon (Butterfly House) in Villa Rica, Georgia.

We got off work early and headed North. Traffic was pretty light thank and we arrived at the B&B about 4 pm. Karen was our host and she was so nice. She offered breakfast to us for Saturday, but with our early start, we didn’t want to bother her. We settled in and decided on a dinner spot. Wine was definitely on the agenda, so that was our deciding factor. We have been participating in dry January and decide it was time to have some wine.

There were quite a few restaurants that I had scoped out, such as an unassuming authentic Mexican restaurant in a Mexican grocery store named La Chiquita and a burger shack called Jerry’s Gourmet Burgers. Remember Villa Rica is a pretty small town, so there are mostly low profile restaurants. I did however find, Gabe’s Downtown, a creole restaurant and Chat and Choo, LLC, a restaurant known for their southern cuisine (but only open for breakfast and lunch). I normally look for a farm to table restaurant wherever I travel, but didn’t have much luck in Villa Rica. I did however find ONE farm to table!! It is called The Southern Table; upon more research I found that it had permanently been closed. Their Facebook page did though lead me to another restaurant, The Otherside Steakhouse at Uncorked on Main. This one sounded right up my alley. With wine on the agenda, we headed to check out Uncorked on Main.

The Otherside Steakhouse at Uncorked on Main is located at 129B Main St, Villa Rica, Georgia 30180. They serve local wines (as you would imagine with the “uncorked” in the title) and local craft beers. I had two wine tastings with dinner. We had pimento cheese fritters for an appetizer that were delicious!

We were up and at em’ early Saturday. I took my husband to the tournament and then I headed out to explore. I arrived at Sweetwater Creek State Park just in time to see the sunrise. I love any sunrise for that promise of a new day.

Sweetwater Creek State Park is located at 1750 Mount Vernon Rd, Lithia Springs Georgia 30122. It was about a 20 minute drive from the Volleyball venue. It is only minutes west of Atlanta, Georgia.

The park has 2,549 acres with a 215 acre lake. It has over 15 miles in trails; if you love to hike and check out nature, this is a nice place to get out of the city and go. The park, just like all Georgia State Parks has a $5 parking fee.

The main reason I went to Sweetwater was to see and photograph the mill ruins. To get to the mill ruins, I had to hike the Red Trail (History Trail). I followed the Red Trail half mile down to the ruins of the New Manchester Manufacturing Company, a textile mill that burned during the Civil War. The mill is a five story building that is alongside the Sweetwater Creek. When I say creek, I use it because that’s the title; believe you me though it is more like a river.

The ruins are surrounded by a large chain link fence, but luckily I carried my GoPro and my Nikon with me. I was able to put the GoPro up to the fence and it has a wide enough lens to capture the mill in one image. I was glad I thought to put the GoPro in my pocket.

After I explored around the ruins, I continued about a half mile on the Red Trail to head to check out the rapids on Sweetwater Creek.

The Red Trail is one mile each way. The beginning of the trail was very easy; the first half mile was mostly flat to get to the mill. However when I made my way for the last half mile, it was quite rocky and more strenuous with some slippery rocks and set of steps to climb. But the beauty you see along the creek makes the hike all worth it.

Now I had to get back to the van. On the way back, I listened to some music and reflected on life and enjoyed my “me time”. I took my time; all in all I spent about 3 hours on the trails. But it was the best 3 hours spent in a while.

I drove through the country on the way back into Villa Rica. I did a little shopping in downtown; purchased a beautiful sweater, pantsuit and set of vases. I also found a mural that I had seen a photo of the day before at Uncorked. I was really surprised that they had maintained the mural for so many years.

I headed back to the tournament and like normal, I got to downloading and editing a few photos for Instagram while I had downtime. I love my WiFi features on my cameras. All four of my digital cameras have that capability. For me, always being on the go, I need that instant gratification of the perfect edit and Instagram post.

My hubby’s team ended up staying late and in the volleyball world staying late is always a good thing, for the team at least! By the end though, we were tired and starved!

We headed to Gabe’s Downtown for dinner. Gabe’s Downtown is located at 104 W Montgomery St, Villa Rica, Georgia 30180. The food and service were phenomenal. This restaurant will definitely make my recommended restaurant list! We had poutine for our appetizer; it had so much flavor. I had the pork nachos and my husband had the ribeye for our meals. We were both fat, dumb and happy when we left!

Sunday morning, we woke up leisurely and grabbed some Starbucks. We took a different route home, so I could photograph one more place on the way home. Starr’s Mill has been on my list of things to photograph for a while now.

Starr’s Mill is located at 115 Waterfall Way, Fayetteville, Georgia 30215. The property that became Starr’s Mill was owned by Hananiah Gilcoat who built the first mill here before his death in 1825. This site, on Whitewater Creek, was less than a mile from the boundary between Creek Indian lands and the State of Georgia. Hilliard Starr, who owned the mill from 1866 until 1879, gave the site its current name. After the first two log structures burned, William T. Glower built the current building in 1907. This mill operated until 1959, using a water-powered turbine, instead of a wheel, to grind corn and operate a sawmill. The Starr’s Mill site also included a cotton gin and a dynamo that produced electricity for nearby Senoia.⁣

The clouds were so beautiful and the flowing water and the red mill really photographed well. I love to find places that have been taken care of throughout the years!

This weekend was perfect for me. I was able to spend time with my husband, spend some me time, explore some new places and photograph them, dine at some new restaurants and do a little wine tasting. There is definitely more to life and everyday I strive to find a little piece.

XOXO

-S

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North Georgia Exploration

What do you do when you have a long weekend?  Well this long weekend, I rented a tiny house in Clayton Georgia and headed north to get a sneak peek of the fall colors.  I do think it was a little early for the full leaf changing, but when I get an extra day off of work I take full advantage of it.

Before we could hit the road Saturday, Perry played in Region Tournament…We had to leave before it even ended, we headed to Atlanta to drop Baylee off at the airport to head to meet up for her cruise…we dropped her and headed north east to get to our weekend getaway started.

We rented Little Red Roof, a brand new tiny house in Clayton Georgia. They have some specific house rules, like no shoes worn in the house, which just tickles my fancy. We are a shoeless house, so it makes me happy to see like-minded folks. I know it may seem silly to some, but my OCD just cannot stand the idea of shoes/germs on my floors and wearing down my wood finish and carpet…Our hosts were Andrea and Curtis. Their tiny house, was just perfect in every way. House listing

Up to $55 off your rental

Dinner Saturday night was at Universal Joint in Clayton. They are know for burgers and live music. While I’m not huge on loud music, I do love a good burger, so decided to check it out.

So it hasn’t rained in over a month in Georgia and guess what 80% chance of rain on Sunday…the day to hike Tallulah Gorge. So we let the anti-rain dance to commensurate. Hoping and praying for the best weather.

Rain dance didn’t work and it poured off and on until after noon or so. We had a quick breakfast and figured we’d drive up to Black Rock Mountain State Park and see what we could with the fog and rain. Rain stopped for a little while and we were able to get some photos of the fog in the mountains.

I wanted to check out Minnehaha Falls, but wanted to do it when the sun wasn’t too high, the cloudy skies were perfect so I could get the right exposure that I wanted on the water…a nice motion in the water as it falls over the rocks.  The hike to Minnehaha is only .2 miles, so it is very doable.  It is located off of Bear Gap Rd near Lake Rabun.  You depart the trailhead at the green diamond and number 147. The drive there was beautiful around Lake Rabun…all the houses and two story boat docks were phenomenal.

So the big thing I wanted to see was Tallulah Gorge.  Tallulah Gorge is one of the 7 natural wonders in the state. It is a must see! There are multiple trails there, but with my back, I had to just listen to my body and see what it could do as the day went on.  If you want to hike the gorge floor, you MUST get a permit.  

There are only 100 given out every day, so you need to arrive early!  My plan was to hike the easier hikes and see how I felt. Today though there were no permits given out because of the inclimate weather.

The easiest of the all is the Shortline Trail. It is 3 miles, but is paved.  This trail can be accessed from Terrora Circle Road.

Then next up is the Inspiration Loop Trail. It is 1.5 miles round trip; it is mulched with exposed rocks. This trail is accessed on the Interpretive Center Road.

The North and South Rim Trails are 3 miles total and take about 2 hours to hike. It is a mulched trail with exposed rocks.

The North Rim is accessed behind the Interpretive Center.  It is approximately ¾ mile one way with some incline and stairs. The trail has six scenic overlooks

1. Inspiration Point is the best southern view into the gorge.  Gorge depth is 900+ feet

2.View of Oceana Falls with Bridal Veil Falls at the far end of the gorge

3.View of L’Eau d’Or (pronounced Ladore) Falls, top of Tempesta Falls, and Hawthorne Cascade and Pool.  Gorge depth is 350 feet

4.View of L’Eau d’Or Falls, Hawthorne Pool and remains of Water compressor plant used in building the Dam

5.Good view of Tallulah Falls Dam (completed in 1913) and upper portions of the Gorge

6.View of upper gorge and southern view to Hawthorne Pool and Overlooks 2 and 3. Gorge depth is 250 feet

The South Rim Trail is accessed opposite side of the gorge from the Interpretive Center.  It is approximately ¾ mile one way with some incline.  The trail has five scenic overlooks

1. View of Hawthorne Pool, North Rim Trails overlooks 2 and 3, top of Tempesta Falls and down Gorge to Hurricane Falls.  Gorge depth is 350 feet

2.View of Hawthorne Pool, Tempesta Falls and Pool.  Gorge depth is 400 feet.

3.View of Hurricane Falls and Pool, Devil’s Pulpit outcrop below, and the interpretive center across the gorge.  Gorge depth is 500 feet

4.View of Hurricane Falls, Oceana Falls, Caledonia Cascade and North Rim overlook one. Gorge is 650 feet

5.View of Celedonia Cascade and the Wallenda north tower area.  Bluff to far right is approximately 1000 feet high.

I really wanted to go to the suspension bridge in Hurricane Falls Trail Loop…but had no idea if I could make it.  The Hurricane Falls Trail Loop has 1,099 stairs to the gorge floor…to get to the suspension bridge isn’t all the way down though. This is the trail you take to get to the gorge trail…and need a permit to go on the gorge floor.

Honestly I’m not even sure which trail we did…we did the stairs all the way down to hurricane falls and some of North Rim trail…my legs were jello and I was super thirsty. There are fountains along the trail, but are not functioning so make sure you bring water with you.

After our hike, we hit Goats on the Roof for some homemade ice cream…it was pretty good and servings were HUGE!

For dinner, yes I planned ahead.  I always look for Farm to Table restaurants before I travel anywhere.  The last thing I want to do is eat subpar food.  I made reservations at Fortify Kitchen and Bar in Clayton for 7:30pm.  Hoping that would give us enough time to see what we wanted to see and get back and showered and dressed for dinner. We had the special shrimp lettuce wraps for our appetizer and I had the pork chop and hubby had the lamb. Both were large portions and very tasty.

Monday morning we woke up and had to check out of the house by 10 a.m.

We had two little friends that looked to have be dumped by someone the day before. They even hopped in the van while we were loading it up…had to scoot them out and then we were on our way. Our host had no idea where they came from.

There is so much to see here, that really a few days isn’t enough to do it all, but if you know me, you know I will squeeze in everything I can.

I could not have come all this way and not visited a winery…after check out it was breakfast at the Dillard House. It is family style dining. You get a TON of food, my favorite was the cinnamon roll!  The Dillard House has been family owned since 1917.  They served locally sourced items and have won multiple awards in the Southern Living Magazine.  The views from the Dillard House were beautiful mountain views.  They are a full service resort…They also offers horseback riding and stables where you can visit their animals.  While there will be no horseback riding for me…I did enjoy visiting their beautiful grounds and animals.  

After breakfast and a visit of the grounds at the Dillard House, we were headed to Tiger Mountain Vineyards at 2592 Old Highway 41 in Tiger Georgia. But they were not open…so we changed our plans.

We went back to Black Rock Mountain State Park to the lookouts to get some more photos. It was very different without all the fog from yesterday!

After that we headed to 12 Spies Winery for a little wine tasting. We did the 10 tastes for $15 and hubby and I split it. My favorite was the sangria…it’s a blend of 5 different wines. The grounds were really pretty too.

After a little wine tasting and exploring, it was time to hit the road to make our trip home.

As we were driving down 441 I saw a sign for a tallulah gorge lookout…so we detoured to check it out. It was pretty but really not worth the detour as there were a lot of power lines in the view. There was a cute little store to buy souvenirs and local goods.

As we got closer to home, we were ready for dinner, so we stopped in Macon. We ate at Ocmulgee Brewpub. I had the Juliette Burger and this burger has moved up to my number one burger of all times. It is topped with a friend green tomato, bacon, onion, lettuce on a freshly baked bun…has a special sauce too! It won the best burger in 2018 and I know why!!

We are home and showered, ready for my next adventure…

Tomorrow morning…another adventure if you want to call it that-L5/S1 injections again…last round before nerve ablation.

XOXO

-S

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Prepping for Ireland – What to pack

We have big Thanksgiving week plans! 95 days and counting down. We are headed to Ireland. A few months ago we booked a Globus tour and I have heard amazing things about Globus. We are going to get to see some amazing places. I just can’t wait.

From the research that I have done the weather should be in the 50’s and rainy a lot of days, so the prepping has begun. North face was having a phenomenal sale, so I got myself a fleece and hubby a rain jacket. North face is no longer having the sale, so I have linked the Amazon item below.

I purchased my rain jacket from Amazon. I chose the Columbia rain coat for myself as it seemed a little longer.

These jeans are some of the most comfortable jeans I have ever worn and they have long lengths that are perfect for longer legs.

I have read to wear layers as the weather can change at the drop of a hat. I also found these waterproof boots on amazon. They are super comfortable with memory foam inside and will be perfect for my week in Ireland when out exploring and hiking around, while also stylish.

We also need these adapters for charging your devices.

These are just the beginnings of what we may need for the trip.

As I buy more I will put a more inclusive list of everything. Right now, I am just so excited and want to make sure I have everything.

UPDATE: We just returned from Ireland on Sunday and a few things to add as MUST PACK…gloves, stocking hat, scarf, umbrella, and Dramamine non-drowsy. While touring there are many curvy roads…so Dramamine is a must if you get motion sick as I do; they do not sell Dramamine there and everything I tried there made me drowsy.

XOXO

-S