Spur-of-the-moment 3 day trip to the high country (a.k.a Boone) with my Father-in-law, his treat, so sweet.

First of all,

This is the verse that rings true to me as we drive through the foothills and start to climb the big mountains. No matter if our faith is so great enough to remove mountains from their standing, or our lives so holy or so busy with sacrificial service, without charity, we are nothing, and we profit nothing. That's the Book. Love in action is how Christ gave us are beginning and it's how we should live and die. Love has to be the fuel in our tank that's driving us to serve or to pray or to be holy or its all for nought. 

1Corinthians 13:2 -"And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing."

It was nice waking up in Boone knowing you have a few days full of exploring ahead of you:) no schedule to keep because we are gonna be on high country time. And listen, I was never a big mountain lover, I grew up by water all of my childhood, so "salt life" was more than a cliche for me but one autumn trip in the Smokies....changed me forever. I was blown away by its beauty!! I now, just overall, love the great vastness of the mountains and the variety of adventure they deliver. Hunt, fish, hike, cruise, explore, picnic, pick apples, visit old-fashioned landmarks, zip-line (yes I have but it wasn't very high) so much to do! 

 The shot above is downtown Boone taken from our hotel and the one below is outside the famous Mast General Store, an old-fashioned toy and candy store with more, I guess you could say.

Decisions, decisions, decisions Sara! 

She likes the candy from the 80's and 90's like Big Hunk, Razzmatazz, forget the name caramels, and those fruit slices that are like gummies and shaped like watermelon slices. Do yall remember the wax lips you'd chew on forever and actually were pretty tasteless, or the wax bottles? What was that all about? One time was enough for me. Yuck.

 Inside a toy kaleidescope.....kinda wish you could really walk around in something like that. I've got a hunch, one day I will, but even better,  with walls of jasper and streets of gold. The Northern Lights ain't got nothin' on The Light.

Johnny loves fire trucks so we had to get a picture of course of Boone's Fire Trucks.

This shot below is what it's all about. Just making memories, life is so short. 

We're ladies but we are not wallflowers, we love getting in the creek, in the mud, bare foot, soaking wet, just watch out for water moccasins!!

This is little Matthew pictured below. He's Johns deceased brother's wife's son that she had (years after Joey died) to a man named Dale.  I'm Matthew's auntie and he's my adopted nephew kinda but there's no blood relation at all, but there is a love relation :) 

 

 We dived right in, outfits and all:) Ssshh!! Don't tell the front desk ;) and we stayed in until 9:30ish in the evening. 

 Somewhere in the middle here we went fishing however,  I have no pictures of that, I was too busy catching nothing maybe it was my bait. Now my girls actually love to use live, squiggly worms as their bait over corn, they run that hook right through that worm quicker than I can.  Sara caught a good-size trout but it unhooked itself right as she was realin' it in. 

And that's our trip in a nut shell. I really needed it and the kids had a blast too!! Thanks Pop!!  we do love him very much and God-willing we will be blessed to have him around for many more years of spontaneous adventures and memory making to come. 

Good-bye Smokies!!! You, Yosemite  and those big Redwoods are my favorite. The Smokies because nothing beats your fall beauty, but Yosemite, because nothing beats those trees you can drive through and the Bridal Veil water fall you can hike to and stand behind in the cave ..... It's just breathtakingly beautiful! All this and heaven too:)