Summer Lovin'

And yet another successful trip to Asheville last weekend!  Congratulations to Josh and Keri Riccardi who's new marriage gave us a wonderful excuse to head back into town.  The mountain breeze and live music floating on the wind graced our lovely mountain views during the ceremony and reception.  Riley casually hung out with the nannies and other kiddos able to attend.  Once again we heard what a happy child we have, as we found her entertaining herself on the floor.  

For those of us old enough to eat adult food, we enjoyed catering by the Biltmore and Cold Stone.  I have to say the wedding rock it just from the fact that they had a Cold Stone station, yummy!  We enjoyed visiting with some of Brenton's Montreat players and co-workers.

As always, Brenton worked hard at the landscape of our home, we pick raspberries and enjoyed walking on the lively streets of downtown Asheville at night.  And our wonderful neighbors in Kentucky let us borrow their pool upon our return, as you see below.  It has been a week of summer lovin', that's for sure.

And woohoo for my sister Jen who had her third baby.  Their first little girl, Kirra Ashlyn, was born mid-June and we have been told looks much like her cousin Riley.  We'll let you know what we think in a few weeks when we meet her!

Sepia Update

Here's our sepia collage of the past few weeks...

• Family Pictures at the Moonbow
• Riley discovering the full roll and now loving her belly
• Riley becoming a tongue-aholic
• An unexpected breakfast with Nana, Aunt Esther & Becca

"Moonbow": Silly or Not, It is Real!

provided by: unusualkentucky.blogspot.com

So I feel silly even saying "moonbow", like I've made up a childish word.  However, I am here to say it is a very real thing.  It is a rainbow but somehow caused by a full moon over Cumberland Falls.  Yes, this is the same waterfall I just posted pictures of a few weeks back.  We remembered a full moon was coming up so we went to the moonbow early this past week.  It wasn't quite as breath-taking as this picture I found on the internet, though it was pretty amazing. 

A few days before we went to see the moonbow, we visitied Cumberland Falls again during daylight and it was a whole new experience from our very first trip.  The water was clear, clean and the view was stunning.  I saw what all the craze was about.  Then we went to the moonbow, so peaceful and perfectly made by an architect in Heaven.  It was dark and quiet, all except the majestic roar of the falls, and perfectly accented with the sparkling stars.

I forgot a flashlight at home and the phones in the car, so we had to use the camera to guide our steps.  It was all a little uneven and sandy, thankfully Brenton carried the baby so I didn't have to worry about the safety of our child.

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What else is new, we are attending a small community church and I mean small.  It is a bit unorthodox, not your average Sunday service.  Yet, we have found a beautiful community of believers that is very intentional with those around them.  It is a reminder of beginning with making a difference in the everyday, and that sometimes change is just seeing one life changed.  The impact is far greater than one will ever know, as many of the planted seeds may never even be seen.  And the fact that it is a small community has made it impossible to keep from getting involved; what great accountability!

Riley is rolling and moving; now trying to figure out crawling, though I pressume she still has a while until she will get that down.  She is drooling and teething; often with random outburst from her aching gums, just waiting for the first tooth to peek out.  And she got her first lightening bug last night, one daddy gave her.  Sadly she decided to squish it rather than look at it.  I tried to save the booger but her grip on the bug got tighter and tighter with no luck.  Brenton thought it was all rather funny.  

Our Rolling Machine

While this video doesn't show justice, our little gal has gotten down the rolling business.  She can roll back to stomach and stomach to back now!

Cumberland Falls (Williamsburg, Kentucky)

 Thanks for the cool hiking gear, that was passed down from the Fralic family!

Memorial Day weekend, we took a trip to Cumberland Falls about a half hour from our place.  Here in Kentucky, it is compared to the great Niagra Falls. I do have to give credit to the fact that it is a huge waterfall and oh so powerful.  It is amazing how calm and quiet the river is just up to the heart pounding drop; truly one of the next biggest waterfall I have seen next to Niagra.  However, the brown water and the waterfall just did not quiet seem "Niagra"esque.  It is truly amazing that we have such beautiful scenery basically in our backyard.  Oh yes, and at night during a full moon, the falls apparently have a "moonbow".  That will have to be an adventure for later this summer!

We hiked for a few hours to another smaller falls were you see from the picture the water is a beautiful turquoise.  Brenton wanted to do the hike behind the falls but was limited with our little gal on his back.  Riley, she loved the adventure out but was ready to get home and out of the warm weather. 

I discovered that there are black bear here as well, not surprising considering we are still in the Appalachian mountians.  They are not talked about much here and it does not seem like they are really seen where we live but the national park where the falls were had signs alerting us of the natural habitat.  Our Asheville neighbors have sent, "Hellos" along with stories of a mama black bear and her cubs that are visiting the neighborhood these days. 

Lexi is loving summer and longingly gazes out at the pasture from our porch, as the heat has limited her activity this week.  The heat and the sun are welcomed, though a little draining as our air unit cannot keep up with the intensity of it.  Considering we are still in the mountains, I didn't expect such humid heat, though Williamsburg seems to have it every year, according to the locals.

I attempted to be a part of the community yard sale this past Saturday.  It was a failure as I had only made $0.75 by noon and had seen maybe two cars stop by.  Brenton got a kick out of it, at least.  By the end of the day I think I had accumulated about $18.  Enough to make up for the melted cupcakes I had made to sell and our recent Starbucks trip.  Had fun chatting with the neighbor ladies though and got a homemade doughnut from the local bakery, yummm!

And we finished our Saturday night having hamburgers with our worship pastor and his wife.  We are attending a small, small church of about 30 on Sunday mornings.  There are a great core of staff members that are bi-vocational and have been serving our Williamsburg community of mountain people for a little over 5 years.  (If you ever watched or read Christy, it would the be the modern day equivalent.  We live in a very poor and uneducated area.)  We are really enjoying the community of believers we have been meeting and have connected with a small group as well.

I will sign off until next time as get up to check on Lexi and watch the elegant evening sky turn purple.

Sweet, tired little Riley at the end of the day and energized Daddy ready for the next adventure!  "Wanna go again next weekend?"

Thunderstorms Across the Valley

So our meals have improved a bit since the last journal. This week we had a spiced breakfast for dinner, eggs, pumpkin muffins and Kraft's "Pear Spice" recipe (pear with crushed vanilla wafer and cinnamon cool whip). We got creative as I have had the pumpkin bread mix in my cupboards since Christmas. The first month after having Riley Grace I took a bit of a break from cooking; now we are getting back around to everything I had once considered baking. Which reminds me that I still have peanutbutter balls in the freezer from Christmas! Wonder how long those will be good; guess I need to buy some chocolate chips to melt after our next trip to Walmart.

I'm currently watching one of our many summer storms clear through our eastern Kentucky valley. The view from our humble rental is absolutely stunning. We are set in a lush valley surrounded by green mountains. Not as large as the mountains in the heart of Asheville, but just as majestic as I watch lightening strike across the dark sky and listen to rain pellets pound on our roof. How mighty is our God.

I was wishing tonight that we had a covered porch like the one from our childhood parsonage in North Carolina (Dongell parsonage). I remember watching the thunderstorms from a safe, dry place, while cuddled in my parents' arms. And only because we are living in the south, do I also feel the need for an ice cold sweet tea from my Nana. Sorry Mama B, I did say sweet tea! My husband and his Texas family think that unsweetened tea is better but I am afraid I will always beg to differ that the south has learned best how to make tea. The secret, tons of sugar boiled in with the tea bags and water.

And just as quick as it came, the thunderstorm in our valley has passed. I had forgotten how much they used to scare me and how quickly they come and go. Ironic, I suppose this is much like storms in life.