Thursday's Thoughts

Happy May! To say that this year has flown by would be a huge understatement. It seems like just yesterday that we were celebrating the new year and now it is nearly halfway over. I thought I'd share some non-wedding stuff I've been doing lately and other things I've been enjoying in my free time.

Hiking

We have been going to Amicalola Falls about once a week to do their hiking trails. Right now we love doing the Hike Inn trail, which is a 5 mile hike one way to an awesome "hotel" at the end of the trail. The only way to get there is to do the hike! We haven't stayed over yet, but it looks like a lot of fun. They feed you all of your meals in a mess hall, there are lots of outdoor games, and the rooms all have bunk beds. It kind of reminds me of Parent Trap.

the start of the trail (it says 4.8 mi, but it's actually 5 total)

view from Hike Inn 

We last did the hike on my birthday. When we were driving down the mountain out of the park, we stumbled across this huge black bear crossing the road! It was the scariest thing I've seen in a long time and I'm so glad we were in a car and not hiking. She was huge!

My Birthday

I celebrated my 29th birthday at Buca di Beppo with my parents, Chris and my brother Bill and his family. As usual, I was very spoiled with presents. Mom took me to get my nails done, for a massage, and out shopping. Chris got me an iPhone 5! I was so excited to finally upgrade as my iPhone 4 had gotten to be very unreliable and slow. I love the new one, it's so fast!

Mom made me wear the Mickey ears :) 

Not sure why my dad is making that weird face!

Biking

I have tried to get back into biking again. I loved it so much, but I think I got burnt out. I've been out on a handful of rides, but I just don't have that same desire to do it like I used to. I will keep pushing myself though because it's a good way to exercise. I did try to take Abbey with me one day. She was a little unsure, but I think she could get the hang of it if I took her more often. 

TV/Movies

My favorite new show is The Americans. Are any of you watching it? I love all of the characters and week after week, it maintains the same amount of suspense and nail-biting drama. I really can't stand Stan though and I find myself rooting for Elizabeth and Peter. They are so awesome! If I could have another life, I would definitely want to be a bad ass spy! Chris and I recently re-watched 21 Jump Street. That movie is so funny! I think I laughed for the whole first half. That movie is the whole reason I'm writing this post actually. I just wanted to share how funny I thought it was. 

Food

We've been on a health kick as of late. We are trying to eat better and exercise more. Not only do we want to get in shape for the wedding, but we just want to feel better overall. I have found that when I eat clean, I feel so much better (duh). But I seem to sleep better, my skin is more hydrated, and I don't feel foggy-brained or sleepy all of the time. I'm completely off of caffeine and I have more energy now than I did when I was drinking coffee every morning. I've also eliminated red meat from my diet, which was hard for me since I love beef. I think it's making a huge difference.

I guess that's all for now! A little quiet before all of the craziness starts...we are going to see Chris' cousin graduate from high school in a couple of weeks (so excited! hi jeanie!) and I will share a little graduation project I worked on for her party. I also want to share the design of our wedding invitations (all DIY). Then my mom, dad, and I will be driving to Texas for my oldest nephew's high school graduation (man, I feel old now) so that should be a fun trip! I'm also having a girl's day with my two best friends and their mom's as well as my mom, for a pre-wedding celebration (I'm not having any showers thrown for me so this is our way of celebrating my upcoming wedding). Before I know it, June 29th will be here!

Have a great weekend!