Memorial Weekend

Memorial Weekend this year Tim and I headed down to Cincinatti to visit and stay with some of our best friends.

Matt & Amanda just had their first child a couple months ago, so "Aunt" Sondra & "Uncle" Timmy wanted to officially meet little Brooks.

Our friends Rob & Greta and their little Isabella also stayed the weekend. The 8 of us had fun...

playing at a park

going for ice cream

attending church together

shopping IKEA (which, by the way, was my first time there - I know, unbelievable)

and enjoying some Montgomery Inn ribs

Thanks Matt & Amanda - we had a fantastic time!

HU Grad

This past Saturday, Tim and I celebrated with my family in the college graduation of my little sis from Huntington University. Congrats Kendra - you're going to make a terrific teacher (and coach, of course!) Love, Sondra & Tim

Mom and her daughters

And Tim being Tim...
asking Kendra to autograph his program.

Smokey Mountain Memories

This past week, Tim and I - along with our friends Abby & Darrin - took a little trip to the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee. None of us had ever been in the area before, and it turned out to be absolutely beautiful and so unbelievably relaxing.

Day 1: We all stayed in a tucked-away little cabin in the mountains.

That afternoon, the four of us decided to hike one of the many trails in the Smokies. This particular one took us to an amazing waterfall. The weather was sunny, 70, and no bugs!

Abby and I hiking (and talking).

Tim trying to find a "more creative" way to cross a stream.

Arriving at our destination... Abby and I behind the waterfall.

Day 2: We decided to take a Sky Tram from downtown Gatlinburg to a look-out on the moutain side.

From where the tram left off, you had the option of taking a ski lift all the way to the top... Abby and I declined - but Tim and Darrin went ahead and got this amazing view.

Each night we'd pick a different local restaurant to try. This was our favorite - The Bullfish in Pigeon Forge (thanks for the suggestion, Becca! We loved it!)

Day 3: The morning started a little rainy, so we decided to try out Ripley's Aquarium in downtown Gatlinburg.

Excited to have caught a horseshoe crab...

... and touching sting rays.

A group picture on the road outside our cabin.

It was so hard deciding which pictures to share because, as you can imagine, there were just so many beautiful sights to see. What a wonderful time with friends in an amazing area of the country. Wish I could have brought some of it back to the flat lands of Indiana!