Love in the Lil Smokies

25 years...

Tim and I celebrated our Silver anniversary last week with a romantic getaway in Brown County, Indiana.  And what a beautiful setting it was...

Part of the fun of vacation for me is researching new places to visit and discovering stops in all the nooks and crannies along the way.  Having never been, but often recommended, Nashville, Indiana - or "The Little Smokies" as it is known seemed like the perfect place for two lovebirds.

We stayed in a cabin between Nashville and Bloomington, which gave us the best of both worlds.  Peace and quiet, rolling hills and windy roads where we slept; a picturesque drive to shopping in Nashville (comparable to downtown Gatlinburg), or big city choices in Bloomington.  

Stopping at a Farmers Market grocery store (one of the highlights for me!), we stocked up on healthy snacks and breakfast goodies for our cabin before checking in.  Truly, we'd have been content to stay there the entire time.  Between the hot tub in the back, deer and wildlife watching, and swinging on the porch in the summer rain, I was in my happy place.

But we did enjoy our ventures out too.  

The curves demanded you slow down and the hills all but made our phones useless, other than for occasional GPS and photo taking, so we were forced to spend time talking and window watching.  

Not that we needed the excuse.  

We were content doing so and some of our best memories on the trip come from our time just exploring the countryside.  

For our anniversary dinner, we drove out in the middle of nowhere to an abandoned town, named Story.  Just when we thought we were lost, a quaint storybook setting appeared.

Story Inn

I couldn't have written a better location to celebrate our 25th.  Full of history and ambiance, we lingered over our farm-to-table feast by candlelight.  After dinner, strolling the town felt like we stepped back in time.  The early 1900s is one of my favorite decades and I could envision what life might have been like then.

The next day we escaped to Bean Blossom in search of a covered bridge 

and had lunch on a flower and herb farm.  

Whisked upstairs in a tea house, we dined alone in a bedroom 

full of knick-knacks and antique memories.  

The weather was perfect nearly our entire trip.  

Raining only long enough to cool down the summer air.  

The soft drops played music on the wooden bridge and 

made our path exploring flowers even prettier.  

On our last morning, we stopped just outside of Bloomington for a lovely brunch overlooking the lake and hillside.  This was our warmest day but still pleasant enough to eat alfresco.  Truly, I would've sat through any temperature to take in this view...

How sweet it was.

I'm still smiling from the trip and moments shared.  

Blessed to have this husband of mine for 25 plus years and 

joyfully expectant for what the future holds. 

I'd Ruther go to Druther's

After twenty-plus years of Father's days, it becomes difficult to do something new.  This dad, in particular, doesn't wear a tie.  The key to my hubby's heart is food so we normally will cook him some type of feast.  The past couple of years, having a chef-to-be in the house, Noah has cooked his Father's Day meal.

This year though, we wanted to surprise him with a road trip.  And we were successful.

A heat wave rolled in just in time for the weekend but it actually helped our surprise.  Our church has three services and we normally attend the latest because we Sunday is about our only day of the week to linger and sleep in a bit.  But that weekend, I mentioned to Tim that it might be best to go to the first before the church got hot.  Ever the flexible fella, he agreed.

Little did he know, it made our plans easier to kidnap and escape after service!

He figured something was up because Noah rode to church with us when he usually drives himself.  (Guess it isn't cool to ride up with the parental units!)   All joking aside, he often picks up a friend or two.  But this day, he drove us.  We just mentioned that we might grab a bite to eat after when he questioned it.

Once church was over, Noah entered an address on his GPS and we set out for our adventure.  As we turned an out-of-the-ordinary way on the parkway, Tim was confused.

"Where are ya'll taking me?"  he laughed.  And then he realized why I asked if he needed to pee before we left church.

We giggled and told him to settle in for a long drive.  About thirty minutes in, Tim acted like he knew where we were going but I knew there wasn't any way he would.

Just as he was about to burst -from anticipation and the need to relieve himself, we entered the parking lot.

"Hey, it's a Druthers!" he said, surprised because there's only one left in the world.  And then it dawned on him we weren't just making a pit stop, this was our destination.


Just a fast food dive to most people, Druthers had a cult following back in the day.  It began as a Burger Queen and was a popular place in the 70s and early 80s.  And it was where my hubby got his first job.

Still in High School, he'd walk the block or two after classes and work until close.  In our area, we haven't one open in over thirty years.  We knew this one still existed just a couple hours away and had been on our bucket list but hadn't got around to visiting.  Father's Day seemed like the perfect time to check it off.

Thanks to the cheap prices they still offer, we were able to offer a buffet-style sampling for Tim to take a culinary trip down memory lane.  Noah matched him bite for bite and they were both belly-busting full by the time we left.  Tim happily snored half the way home so I'd count it as a successful surprise.

   

 

I was just grateful for another year to celebrate.  Last Father's Day was a scary one, Tim just recently released from the hospital.  He's had a rough couple years health-wise with no real answers.  And to a momma who lost her son to an "unknown virus" to say anxiety and fears have been high, would be an understatement.  Watching them in the car on the way up, I was reminded of last year's attempt of an outing.  We made it to the restaurant before Tim had a breathing attack and became too ill to enjoy the day.

2017

So much changes year to year...and I'm thankful for the blessings we've been given.  

Life is short and precious, no matter how many days you have with loved ones.

2018

Joy Drowning

Yesterday was one of those days. 

Waking up before dawn, to see our son off to work, we realized how nice it was outside.  Like unheard-of-June-nice.  Normally, summer mornings in Kentucky hit your face the moment you open the door.  But yesterday, it was surprisingly pleasant and we wanted to soak it up fully.

Sundays are normally short for us, as that begins Tim's work week.  After church and a nap to prepare for the night shift, we only get a few hours together. 

Taking advantage of the extra time, we opted to load up the boat and enjoy the morning on the water.  The river is my happy place, provided the weather cooperates.  I love to fish but not to sweat!  After we got settled in our spot, I actually felt we'd under-dressed, as it was a tad cool in the shade.  Unlike most boat outings, we began searching for sunny areas to fish.

Calm water, cool breeze, blue skies...the picture-perfect backdrop for our day date. 

Until it wasn't.

I'm terrified of snakes.  Like, change the channel if one is on tv, make a U-turn if one is the road, goosebump shivering kind of fear.  Years and years ago when we were dating (our first fishing date), a snake snuck into the car while we were unpacking.  On the ride home, what I first thought was a rolling Moutain Dew bottle, began to slither up between my legs.  Tim, thinking it was a bee (to which is he allergic), stopped the car, got out and left me inside!  Yes, I still married him anyway...he did eventually come to my rescue.

So anyway, since that day snakes and I are not friends.  And the boat, though I love it, causes me to see more snakes than I prefer.  A few years ago, we were boating and Tim says, "Heather, don't move."  Well, this sends me into a state of panic and I wind up face-planted in the bottom of the boat.  Since then he's learned better ways of warning me and, as long as I see them first and can keep my distance, I am somewhat ok.  Honestly, the past couple years the boys have been surprised at my calm composure.  In fact, I'd gotten so comfortable I could now turn my back to the water while fishing.

Which was the case yesterday, when I had my back at the bow of the boat, fishing off to my left.  Noticing movement at the side, my mouth caught up with my brain in time to say, "Snake!" as I stood.

Tim paused for a moment, probably wondering how I would react.  I stayed relatively calm until it started inching its way in what appeared to be an attempt to enter our boat.  Whacking the water with my pole, in an effort to scare it away only made it mad....or more curious.  It went under and back out, circling our boat and taunting me.  And then Tim shot it. 

Chair now turned around to the water, pole down, I was a bit unsettled.  My eyes kept scanning the water, heart racing each time a tree limb floated by.  Try as I may to shake the fear, it had returned with a vengeance.  Between that and the impending weather, we opted to turn in early.

On our way back, I mentioned to Tim that he needed to hit a bank for a potty break before we reached the boat dock (which no bathhouse exists).  Whether it was my nerves or lack of balance from a weak left side, I was more unsteady than usual as I raised up to prepare for a rest stop.  Wobbling, I could quickly tell I was about to go head first into the river.

What happened next was in slow-motion, both for me and hubby witnessing the ordeal.  Trying to catch my balance, I grabbed everything I could find, including my chair, which collapsed in the commotion.  Somehow, that process shot my phone out of the chair, over our heads, and into the river.  Clinging onto the side I watched my pink wallet case plop and sink out of reach. 

Jesus may have walked on water but listening to the church podcast on my phone, didn't keep it from sinking!

At this point, I'm sobbing, more from the shock of everything but also because the pain of my fall now caught up with me.  Somehow in trying not to fall, I probably hurt myself more.  Something hit my shin, of course in the leg I already have damage to, and I'm bruised all over.  But at this point, the scare of the snake, injury, and the realization that not just my phone but every card and ID I own is in the bottom of the river, broke me.

The only good that came from the escapade is that we made it back to the bank and into the truck just before a torrential storm hit.  Well, and that we'll have a funny story to share all summer.

I would include some great photos of Tim and me, the beautiful river and landscapes, as well as some awesome up-close pics I captured of a dragonfly who rested on my leg but, you know, they are a little wet...and lost!  Instead, I'll drop one that I posted that morning before the dunking. 

Yes, I get the irony.

Oh, and if you had my number, could you text me your name?  

Losing my contacts from the past decade has been rough...

but, it coulda been worse and there's always JOY to be found!