Fun at the outfitter

The outfitter is an amazing place and we find ourselves hanging out here a lot. We'll just start a fire, grill out and just hang out. It's a lovely environment.

We love when Carolyn comes to hang out too. She likes to come sit around the fire with us and enjoy the beautiful fall weather. She even made it to the top of the treehouse. They were all celebrating.

We love to roast some marshmallows.

EC convinced Carolyn to sit and swing in her hammock. What you do not see in this picture is that this is the second attempt. The first attempt did not go so well and had Carolyn, EC and BB laying on the ground. At least they were all laughing and she was brave enough to try it again.

Scully's favorite spot and view.

Carolyn came to visit and hang out several times this fall. Well, until Granny fell. Then she was in Calera 5 days of the week and we didn't get to see her as much. So glad for the time she was able to come visit and glad she's able to go help and take care of her mother so much.

This is the not so fun side of outfitter life. No everyone respects nature as much as you'd like. Some people let their kids run wild and destroy beautiful little trees. I think the camp ground will be full if these guys ever want to come back and camp.

We did have a couple of people come out an do some cold paddling with us! So glad we can still serve the kayaking community even through off season. Some of my favorite trips down the creek have been in the colder winter months. The water levels can be perfectly amazing.

 

Around the house in Oct

Our girls have been busy these days.

Benjamin got so sick this fall. He ran a fever for a couple of days, was extremely lethargic and then broke out in a rash. I honestly think he either had roseola or the measles. Either way he was pitiful. I felt so bad for him. However, after his 2-3 days he was back to normal. Glad he had it and got over it quickly. 

Helping daddy paint the back of the shop.

All hands on deck.

All three little monkeys playing in Ella Claire's bed.

EC loves to play baby doll with her little brother. He doesn't care as long as he gets to eat.

Napping with Emi.

She's so cute.

Shopping for yarn with Nay Nay.

Emily and Ella Claire took a trip to Mamaleta's to visit and spend the night. They love spending time with Mamaleta!

 

School

Dress up day at school. Ella Claire and her BFF Addyson showed up matching!

Emily took a class this year called Money Makers. The class teaches kids how to create their own business and the inner workings of what a business looks like. Emily enlisted Abby's help and together they created Nordic Knots, a knitting company. They sold Abby's knitted hats and scrunchies. The scrunchies sold out in no time and Abby sold 2 or 3 hats. The business was a hit!

We love school days. They are both completely worn out!

 

Dollywood

The girls were such an amazingly awesome help with the outfitter that we wanted to do something fun and special with them. They had always wanted to ride roller coasters so Perry and I planned a trip to Dollywood! We stayed in a cute little cabin at a campground in Pigeon Forge, ate out at Mellow Mushroom, went to souvenir shops, drove go carts and rode all the coasters. They (we all) had a blast. It was a much needed recharge for the 4 of us.

I'm still not sure what I was thinking when I ran to get on this thing.

The eagle. I let the girls do this one on their own.

And this one. I do not care for being dropped from the sky like that.

They, however, loved every minute of it and came back laughing from each ride.

When we got to the carnival side, Perry was all up for the rides.

We even rented a smaller car to zoom back and forth with.

Since we were so close, we decided to visit the Arensbak Troll workshop. These are the trolls we've been buying for Perry every year for several years now. I've always wanted to take him to the workshop and see all trolls and meet the children of the original designer who are still making the trolls and designing new ones today. We also bought Perry a new troll for 2019 while we were there. The hippie troll will fit in nicely with our collection.

Perry wanted to bring this door knocker troll home with us.

We even took the long way home and stopped by the NOC.

Oh yeah!