New(ness) & Marriage

If you are newly engaged or married, you are probably starting to think like I was at the time - I didn't know that there could be so much 'new' in my life and all of it happening at the same time. 

There are new people that you are meeting - friends and family of your significant other and attempting to remember all of their names and how they fit into the family so that you have something to talk to them about the next time you see them. 

There are new bills to be paid - mortgages/rent, cell phone bills (holy cow!), power/electric, water (who know water cost so much?), cable & internet, car loans, college courses, retirement, student loans, credit card debt, Netflix (or Hulu or Spotify or Amazon), etc. NOT TO MENTION gas & groceries which add up really fast.  Then throw in birthday presents, wedding/baby showers, weddings (& travel to and from), Christmas gifts & other parties/celebrations. Life is expensive (and that's without a ton of fluff). Josh and I joke that we totally took for granted how much our parents paid to just support us until we moved out & got married.  

There are new routines that are trying to mesh when you were once independent and now have to somewhat plan your life around someone else. For those of you that don't know, I left Fort Myers to go to Liberty University for 3.5 years. My last semester of college, I moved back home to students teach in Lee County. During that semester, I met Josh (fell in love, right?) and we were engaged by Christmas. We bought a house in May and Josh moved in shortly after. There never was really a good time to move back out on my own because I was finishing off my student loans and paying for our new home. 

There are new responsibilities. All those things that my mom used to handle growing up - yeah, that's my job now. I never knew that guys could possibly go through so many outfits (approx. 3 a day for Josh). I also feel like there is a never ending amount of dishes and grocery shopping and cleaning (dogs & husband = constant mess). AND THIS IS ONLY FOR THE TWO OF US. I can't imagine the amount of laundry and dishes when kids come along. I used to yearn for my mom to just come and sit down and talk to me, but it seemed like she was always unloading/reloading the dishwasher or folding laundry while listening to my high school drama. She was always there, just typically multi-tasking. Now I totally understand why - being a wife is a lot of responsibility. We've come a long way in our two years of marriage and Josh is a total help in these areas these days, but it is still a lot of responsibility. And that's just the day to day stuff. Keeping up with things like getting your oil changed, replacing burned out light bulbs and changing air filters (oops for forgetting for 6 months) is a lot of responsibility too. 

There are also new passions. I was an athlete in high school, but y'all, I did not like working out. I worked HARD, but only at what I needed to do to get better for that particular sport. Well Josh comes from a family where his dad has always coached football and been a personal trainer. Josh has always wanted to be a personal trainer and did that, along with group fitness for different sports programs since I've known him. He always tried to get me to come lift with him or run sprints with him, and when I wasn't giving in and trying it out, I was complaining about the amount of time he spent at the weight room. I didn't understand him when he says that it was a great stress reliever. In November, he started a job at a new gym and after about a month, convinced me to come in and give it a try. Guys! It has been so eye opening. For the first time since high school sports, I have found something that I really enjoy. I actually dread the days that I am too busy to go. I typically go right after work and I totally get what he meant now when he says that it relieves stress. I love that for 30 minutes a day, I can go and focus on myself and making myself better and stronger. I know I am a better person because I am taking care of myself (almost) every day! 

Let's not forget that there are new foods. I say this partially as a joke, but everyone who has been in a serious relationship knows that there has been sometime when your significant other has eaten something and you look at them just trying to figure out who they really are. "You like whattttt?" What's even better is if this food is being served at a family dinner you are at and now you are trying to figure out how to be polite and (not) eat it without offending the cook. There are foods that Josh's family cooks that my family never did (and vice versa). Now as a wife, I am trying to bring both food preferences into our family (even if that includes lots of vegetables). 

*Side note: Josh's family pokes fun at me because I told them that one of the foods I would never touch to my mouth is meatloaf. I stick with the line from Drake & Josh when Josh asks "if meat should ever even be served in the form of a loaf?" Anyways, they knew this about me and one evening we all went over to Meme's house (Josh's grandma) for dinner and she made, you guessed it, MEATLOAF! They all stared at me the whole meal to see how I was going to get out of eating it. In case you were wondering, I ate a few bites and slid the rest on Josh's plate when she wasn't looking. 

And lastly, there are new adventures. I have tried so many new things and made so many amazing new memories since meeting and marrying Josh. The first one that always comes to mind is being a dog mom. We NEVER had a pet growing up (unless a goldfish counts?), so taking on a dog (and now two) has never challenged me more. This dog mom life is full of adventures, but each one of them leaves me smiling. I also fell in love with a new city (Clarksville, TN - where Josh grew up), and enjoy visiting there. I feel like each and every day is an adventure when you are married to a man like Josh. 

So here I am with all my crazy stories just to simply share that there are times when all the new(ness) is completely overwhelming. There are days when I don't think I can handle it all. There are days when my house stays a complete disaster (as does my moms) because we will just sit on the back porch and chat instead of tending to our wifely duties. And I'm here to tell you that IT'S OKAY! He can wear something different tomorrow. You can eat off paper plates and drink milk right out the gallon. You can use a flashlight in the bathroom because all 4 of your vanity lights have burned out (I'm not speaking from experience here or anything). 

Embrace the new and take it one step at a time. Grow in your love for each other and for the people around you, and the new will slowly become your routine and you will laugh back at this adjustment period when it all seemed insane. 

You got this. You are a rockstar. 

- Hilary 

Food We Currently Love

For most of our lives, my mom worked (and worked hard). She is a SUPERMOM (do not let me fool you) and she cooked for us often growing up, but she was not a 4-course meal kind of mom like maybe yours was. I came from a family of four kids and all of us were super involved in sports and our school activities. Between practices, games, church/youth group and seeing family, we were rarely home long enough to prepare fancy dinners. I loved a good serving of tacos, spaghetti or something simple like heating up soup (or my ALL TIME FAV – spaghetti O’s). Josh tells me that his meals growing up were similar.

We are SO thankful for our moms and how much time they spent watching our games and toting us around to practices, rather than cooking us fancy foods. They kept our bellies full and that is all you really need.

ALL THAT TO SAY, I did not come into marriage with a recipe book full of yummy foods to feed my husband. I had a few staples (moms spaghetti & manwich sloppy joes), but I have explored Pinterest a million times to find some quick and easy meals that us picky eaters can enjoy. I work as a teacher and do not get off until 3:30 (after 5:00 during cheer season with practices). Some days, I stay after school and tutor, and most other days, I head to the gym after work. Josh does not get home until after 7 most days, so I like meals that I can go home and cook and have waiting for him when he gets home. I do enjoy cooking, but am trying to find a balance for time I spend in the kitchen and the amount of time I spend cuddling my dogs.

The qualifications for my meals are the following:

1 – They must take under 30 minutes of prep time

2 – They must not include fish (unless its on the grill for Josh and I can eat something else)

3 – They must include easy-to-find ingredients

4 – They must be (mostly) wholesome and good for you foods

So without further ado, food we currently LOVE - 

• Lettuce Wrap Tacos (inspired by this wonderful blogger) with our toppings of choice
• Turkey Meatballs (sometimes with cheese & sometimes without)
• Tortilla Pepperoni Pizzas (this is my inspiration)
• Chicken Quesadillas (with my favorite clean eating tortillas)
• Pulled Pork/Chicken (literally insert pork butt & chicken broth in crock pot and cook until it shreds easily - try it on a pretzel bun, it's delicious)
• Chicken & Dumplings (hereon the stove & here in a crock pot) - pushing it on the "healthy"
• Sloppy Joes (we use this and sometimes use ground turkey) - again, not SUPER healthy
• Cabin Chicken (this is what we call it, but it is basically just chicken tenderloins cooked in a pan with a tablespoon of butter and seasoned with Lawry's seasoning salt. I don't know why the butter and Lawry's make the perfect combination, but it does. We cook them as tenderloins until cooked through, then but into bite size pieces and throw back into pan just to crisp the ends)
• Breakfast for Dinner (Kodiak Protein Pancakes - topped with blueberries or chocolate chips)

Besides this, we just grill EVERYTHING and have a side of broccoli or asparagus (which is what we eat about 4 nights out of the week). We rotate between chicken, pork chops, pork loin, steaks, burgers/turkey burgers, and sometimes beer brats or salmon for Josh. We typically have a "cheat meal" kinda meal once a week where we indulge in some pizza or hit up Duck Donuts.

Here are some sweet (healthier{ish}) treats that we like to splurge on sometimes (sorry if you hate peanut butter):

• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (flourless & dairy/gluten free)
• Dark Chocolate PB Banana Bites (Josh doesn't really dig bananas, but I LOVE these)
• No Bake Peanut Butter Bars (Rice Krispie Treat Style)
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies (Can't stop. Won't Stop.)
• Protein Peanut Butter Dip (Delicious Snack)

What are your favorite meals to cook at home? Do you have any healthy substitutes that you have tried? Let us know. We love trying new things!

Josh & Hil

Quick Life Update

Well we did something crazy two weekends ago - we got another dog!

Ever since we had a friend and her dog stay with us over the summer, Josh has been itching for another dog to run around and play with Cincy. He also wanted a Blue Tick Coonhound (to match our Red Tick Coonhound) and has been on the prowl across a ton of different websites to find the perfect one for our family. Well who would have guessed that only 15 miles from our house, Otis was being fostered by the sweetest family and was going to be put up for adoption in the middle of February. Otis was about 3 years old when we rescued him, and although he is a little smaller than Cincy, they are so similar in personality - constant energy with so much love to give. We tried to think of another name for him (considered Monty, Onyx and even Blue), but for now, Otis has stuck. 

Well the adjustment wasn't always easy (still isn't), but we can say that we are loving it. You honestly can't look at the next pictures and not just love the way that they are bonding and really taking on the brotherhood mentality. I have had my fair share of doubts along the way, but I don't think that I can honestly imagine life without these crazy guys in it. 

   

As of now, I am officially outnumbered 3:1. I guess it's time to consider adding a girl or two to the family. But maybe our next kids will only have two feet instead of four paws :) 

Otis says to send peanut butter as a welcome present if you'd like :) 

Happy Tails,

Josh, Hilary, Cincy and Otis

2017 Recap

For those of you that have been following the blog for a little while, we wanted to give you a bit of a quick life update for the year 2017 (from the back of our Christmas card, so it's super cheesy), a quick look at our years highlights, as well as a video that I shared on my Instagram at the end of the year.

Year two of marriage has almost come & gone and we can't even believe it. This year was filled with travel, college classes & lots of football. Josh is working towards his Bachelors in Human Health & Performance, while also working at a gym as a Personal Trainer. Josh is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and has been working on growing his business since he passed his test in July. Hilary is still working at SFCA as the Educational Technology Specialist where she is in charge of an iPad lab and teaching MS/HS students. Josh's football team went to Regionals this year for the first time in program history. It was a momentous occasion and Hilary loved getting to coach the cheerleaders and cheer on Josh's team. We can't wait for everything that 2018 will hold.

2017 Year Highlights:
* Josh got a new job that he LOVES
* We sold both of our cars & got new ones
* Josh passed his ACE Personal Trainer Certification
* Hilary became a certified Apple Teacher
* Josh & Hilary both coached for SFCA in the first ever regional game as football & cheer coaches
* Pup turned 3 (where did the time go?)
* We got to visit lots of family & friends

See our year in review in picture form:

Can't wait to see what 2018 has in store for us,

Josh & Hilary 

Road Trip Games

For those of you that don't know or are new to the blog (WELCOME!), you might not know that Josh is TERRIFIED of flying! Don't tell him I'm mentioning this, but he might've passed out and had to have MedVac come take him off the plane the first time we flew. Anyways, due to this fear, we don't often fly (and when we do, it's typically to a far away place for something quick like a wedding or funeral). We also don't love to fly because Cincy, our 80 pound coon hound, can't come on vacation with us if we fly.

ALL OF THAT TO SAY...we are the master road trippers. I just wanted to hop on here really quick and share with you our two favorite road trip games. We play them pretty much every time we travel past Tampa (about 2 hours away), and they keep us entertained for at least a portion of the trip. 

First is the license plate game. This is about as easy as it comes. We first played this game when my parents used to put us in the car and transport us from Fort Myers, FL to Detroit, MI every summer as kids. My grandma used to pay us 10 cents for every state and 25 cents for every Providence. This used to keep us entertained and keep us from asking "Are we there yet?" over and over again on that fun 24 hour drive. 

The Breakdown: We open up a new page in our notes app and we try to find all 50 states (and a bonus for any Canadian Providences). I think the most we got in one trip was 36. Try and beat us. Make sure you check the big trucks because sometimes they have more than one plate on them. For this game, we always work together. This past weekend, my parents were going to our cabin in GA while we were TN bound. Josh & I raced my brother and sister to see who could find more on our trips. In case you were wondering, they beat us by 1 state. 

Second is the ABC game. This is another easy game that takes no supplies and just alert eyes. I would tell you that I win every time, but Josh would tell you I'm a liar. Basically, you start at A and try to find a word that starts with the letter "A". Think eye spy but going through the letters of the alphabet A-Z. If you want to play again, start with the other person the next time so that you have to find the opposite letters. 

A couple rules we play by (adjust as needed):

1. The word must be outside of the car

2. You cannot find two words on the same sign (So if a business is called Apples Bananas, it will only count for Apples. The person with the letter "B" will have to find another one)

3. Sometimes we let it slide for hard letters like X, Q, and Z to find it on a license plate. If this is the case, my sister (the stickler of the group) always made it be the first letter on the license plate to make it a little more challenging. 

4. Abbreviations don't count. So the Q in DQ doesn't count. It would have to be Dairy Queen to count as a Q. 

A few hints: 

* Look for car makes and models

* Look for names of restaurants on interstate signs

* Look on bumper stickers 

* Look for X on a Nissan Xterra

* Look for Q on a Dairy Queen, La Quinta, or Quality Inn & Suites 

* Look for Z on a Zoo sign or a Zaxby's 

The other thing we love to do to make road trips pass a little quicker is to have a really good playlist. Josh thinks that a really good playlist includes ALL the genres and ALL decades of music. Throw in some old stuff & new stuff. Add some country, pop, hip hop, R&B, blues, and rap. Add your favorite songs from when you were a kid and maybe add some brand new songs. Add something to sing along to, and something to bring back sweet memories. If you are traveling with your love, play "your song" or the song you danced to at your wedding. Keeping the songs random like this will keep you talking about/laughing at/reminiscing on the playlist and the lyrics and less about how many miles you've traveled in the last hour. 

How do you pass the time on a roadtrip? 

Tell us in the comments below,

J&H

Christmas Lights in Fort Myers, FL

Be a tourist in your own town.

Josh & I typically escape to Georgia over Christmas break for a little getaway, but due to a wedding this year, we had to stay put. Since we both had the time off, we decided to take this as a chance to be a tourist in our own town and explore the best lights in Fort Myers.

There are two wonderful places that we like to go to see the Christmas lights each year downtown - The Edison Home & The Burroughs Home! Both of these come with a price tag, but they are totally worth it to go (at least once in your lifetime). If you don’t know what these places are, they are beautiful older homes that just have breathtaking architecture. These amazing decorators string and trim the whole house with Christmas lights & decorations and it looks like something out of a Hallmark movie. Don't forget to get your picture with Santa before you leave!

Also this year, we are headed out to Babcock Ranch to see their Christmas lights. We missed the tree lighting ceremony (which we heard was ahhhmazing), but we still want to see what all the hype is about.

There are also a few residential homes that we think have amazing lights this year! Check out these homes -
1536 Pinecrest Road, Fort Myers 33919
1856 Oak Drive, Fort Myers 33907
8161 Harrisburg Drive, Fort Myers 33967

Where in Fort Myers have you seen the best Christmas Lights? 

Let us know so we can take a drive,

Hil & Josh 

** If you have kiddos, I have heard a lot of great things about this Santa in the Stables event even though it has nothing to do with Christmas Lights!

Melbourne Beach

We made this quick day trip over to Melbourne Beach to visit my uncle and his family one weekend this summer. It's a place that Josh and I look forward to returning to and exploring more. 

My absolutely favorite part was walking from my uncle's house to this beautiful boardwalk. This is right next to that Melbourne Beach sign (pictured above). On the west coast of Florida, we don't have many areas with beautiful boardwalks like this. I just couldn't help but smile as I felt the breeze rushing over us while I stared out into the deep blue. We saw dolphins and watched a seagull dive for his lunch. Find a boardwalk near you and do yourself a favor - take a nice walk on one. Hold the hand of your significant other and enjoy the walk. 

The food highlight of this trip (besides my cousins AMAZING homemade brownies) was donuts for breakfast at the Sugar Shack. Most of you know that Josh & I typically try to eat pretty healthy regularly, so often when we travel, we splurge. These donuts were to DIE FOR. To tell you the truth, we ordered donuts, and then he brought out a fresh batch, so we went and ordered more. We couldn't stop eating them. SO delicious. I just can't say no to a homemade donut. BEST NEWS - most of them are open ALL DAY! So donuts for breakfast, lunch & dinner (AM I RIGHT?)

Hopefully I have more to share about Melbourne soon,

Hilary & Josh 

Thanksgivingggggg

Back to our favorite weekend getaway destination - Rabun Co. for this quick 4-day trip, we wanted to share with you about an awesome hike (or you can drive to this one), my dad's favorite Thanksgiving day activity, our favorite way to bring in Christmas (in November), and our favorite place to cut down our own Christmas tree. Additionally, we are practicing an attitude of gratitude this year, so we each wanted to share a few of the things that we are most thankful for.

First, I just have to share that one of my dad's favorite things to rope us into is the Turkey Trot in downtown Clayton. I am not a runner (and neither is Josh), but for some reason I work up on Thanksgiving morning and decided I wanted to run it. So let the record state - I finished the Turkey Trot 5k.

We first read about Glassy Mountain on the Wander North Georgia Blog. You should definitely check  out their site if you are anywhere in the North Georgia area. You can also read their post for better fetails on how to find the hike and tips about it. One thing we did learn that has changed since their post is that you are allowed to drive your car right up to the bottom of the tower as long as the gate is open. Anyways, the views are great (if you can get over the knee knocking climb up the tower). Cindy made it up to the top, though, so you should have no problem. They say at night, that you can see Clemson from the top of the tower. Like I said - pretty solid views.

Every year, the Friday night after Thanksgiving, is Christmas in Clayton when all the shops stay open a little later, and they serve cookies, cider and hot cocoa. This is a great small town tradition that allows you to start your Christmas shopping and enjoy one of the super yummy restaurants downtown. Make sure you stop and take a picture in front of one of the beautifully decorated trees.

Our favorite ‘Saturday after Thanksgiving in Georgia’ tradition is to head up to North Carolina to Osage Farms to cut down our own tree. Im sure there are a million places to cut down trees, but we have always had success here and our trees have always survived until Christmas. A few tips:

• Plan to be here a few hours - the amount of trees available is overwhelming and it takes a while for the workers to come get your tree, bundle it up, and tie it to your car   
•  There is very minimal (or no) service once you get close to Osage. They have big signs with Christmas trees on them for you to follow, but you’ll want to communicate with anyone you’re meeting up with before you head up the mountain 
•  I will say that even though they have guys with chainsaws there to cut it down for you, but that you should bring a good ole hand saw with you to cut it down if you really want the full experience
• Bring your family and take lots of pictures because it is SO much fun and SOOO pretty up on top of the mountain

Peep Cincy misbehaving :) 

Hilary’s Thankful List:

1. A husband who loves me

2. A family who supports me

3. A pup the cuddles me

4. A job that pays me ;)

5. A home that covers me

Josh’s Thankful List:
1. Family
2. Faith
3. Friends
4. Fitness
5. Fur Child

XOXO, 

J&H 

Rabun Co Spring Break

Another Rabun Adventure & More of our FAVORITE Spots to Share!

The Rusty Bike is one of our favorite breakfast joints. They have just about everything you can think of for breakfast and my favorite vacation splurge is a big 'ole blueberry pancake. We haven't found anything here for breakfast that we haven't liked, and my family eats a ton of different foods. The decor is just the cutest and it really is full of the nicest people. 

Pic feat: Mom, Dad, BFF Sarah, Sister Isabel, Josh & I :) 

This is the view from the top of the Black Rock Mountain State Park at the Welcome Center. You can see all of Rabun Country from here and even farther on a clear day. It really is breath taking and just a reminder to stand in awe of God's beautiful creation. Almost Christmas card worthy, right? There are 4 different trails that you can hike here and we've done all of them. Our favorite is either the Tennessee Rock Trail (highly recommend) or the Black Rock Lake Trail (our favorite EASY hike). 

This is a picture of pup & I walking around Black Rock Lake Trail. This (as I've mentioned before) is one of our favorite places to go with the pup for a nice, relaxing walk after a long hike the day before. 

This beauty is the bottom of Panther Creek Falls. I think I talked about this hike before, but let me give you the quick down low. The first time we hiked this trail, we had just gotten to town and didn't have the pup yet. We left on the trail with a bottle of soda, one of Gatorade, and only one bottle of water since this is what we had left from our travels. We had only eaten granola bars for breakfast and didn't pack many snacks. We knew this was about 7 miles round trip, but for some reason we thought this was a good idea. ANYWAYS - we turned around about half way through - or about 2.5 miles in we found out this time around. We wish we didn't, but we needed to do it at that moment. THIS TIME THOUGH, we had the pup and came prepared and it was such a great hike. Pup took it like a total champ, but it was pretty tough. There was lots of steep hikes and a few times that we had to climb on all fours to get down towards the actual falls at the end. This is still our longest hike to date, but one of our favorites (not that we would necessarily try it again)! :p

If you didn't already know, Clarkesville Lanes does bowling for $1 per game on Tuesdays (plus $2.50 for shoes)! This is a MUST on our family list when we go there. We rarely ever bowl at home, but we have a blast bowling here. They also have hand dipped ice cream and bar food that you can enjoy while bowling. This time, we stuck around and I kicked Josh's booty in a few games of darts! They have billiards tables too! It's a fun way to spend a night out for super cheap. 

This is my absolute favorite place to be during all of the winter months. Cuddled up with some cozy slippers, a small space heater, and a warm blanket with a good book in hand. You'll find me here in the coming months. 

Enjoy the cooler weather,

Hilary & Josh

Detroit Wedding Weekend

So we were literally in Detroit for less than 48 hours for this quick trip up for my cousins wedding. We left out of Ft. Lauderdale at 7:30 Saturday morning and headed back home from Detroit on 6:00 Sunday night. So when I say quick trip - I mean it. Can you tell by our photo above that we have sleepy eyes when we were boarding our flight to Detroit that morning? We also hate to pay for carry ons so we all packed in backpacks for our quick flight on Spirit. 

There were two quick things that I wanted to share with you about this trip. First is about our favorite Saturday morning downtown stop at the Eastern Market. We made our way across the street to the Detroit vs. Everybody store because we just love it (and I love all the graffiti - peep the pic above). Also across from the Eastern Market was the little store you can see in the background of Josh's picture. They were grilling food right out front of their store and it smelled absolutely delicious. It was served by a big sweaty chef and we just couldn't pass it up. Josh got the ribs and said that they were some of the best he's ever had. We never shy away from street food. {Not pictured: me stuffing my face with beignets because they are the best ever!} 

 

We spent lots of quick stops with family as we tried to visit everyone in the short time that we were there. Saturday night we went to my cousins wedding. We cleaned up pretty nice for being up since 3am, did we not? On a total side note, they got married at Wolcott Mill Metropark and it was seriously gorgeous. If you are ever in the area, definitely check it out - especially in the fall - I heard they have awesome activities! 

 

Until next time, I leave you with this studly photo. 

-JH

Fishing Charter - Sanibel Island

Every year our school hosts a fishing tournament as a fundraiser for our athletic department. This year, my husband, two sisters and I decided to charter a boat and fish in the tournament. We ended up chartering a boat from M. E. Fishing Charters and had Captain Gary Jenkins and he was so awesome. He kept us laughing the whole time, while helping us catch great fish. 

For the tournament, we needed to weigh in two reds and a trout - so that is what we set out to get. We met at Punta Rassa Boat Ramp at 7:30 AM (bright and early to start our adventure). Above is us about to take off - sleepy eyes and all (just in case you were curious, we were at a football game the night before until almost midnight so the morning came real early). 

Anyways, if you are a fisherman by nature, you might know how a day on the water goes already, but if not, let me brief you. First we went to two different locations for bait fish. You have to catch bait fish to use to catch real fish (like trout and reds). We caught little minnows and then lucked out (apparently) and caught some lady fish (which our captain chopped up to use as bait! - ew, gross!)

Then after a 30 minute boat ride, we were to where we would park for the day to catch those red fish. Our captain was out the whole day before scouting and had seen some redfish here. We hadn't had our poles in the water for 5 minutes, when we got a bite on not only one of our hooks, but two. These fish are fighters and both my sister, Bri, and Josh successfully reeled those suckers into the boat. Bri's weighed in at 5 lbs 9 oz and Josh's weighed in at 3 lbs 14 oz. We sat on that same spot for another 1.5 hours and only caught 10 catfish, 1 snook, and 2 trout (about 1 pound each). We ate some lunch while we waited, then tried another spot for redfish for about an hour, hoping to catch some. No such luck. 

We were happy though because we caught all 3 of the fish that we needed, so we counted the day a success and headed in to weigh in at the beach. The ride was crazy bumpy and we laughed the whole time as waves splashed all over us as we drove. 

And honestly, who wouldn't want to look at this stud all day?! (insert heart eye emoji)

Here's a photo of the red that Josh caught & the one sis caught! Seriously, y'all, fishing is kind of fun. 

And one more team picture of us with our Captain. 

 P.S. We LOVE our Qalo rings. They literally let us do anything that we want to do without worrying about losing our real wedding rings. They come in so many different shapes and colors and we seriously own 3-4 each. I probably almost wear them more than I wear my real wedding bands (sorry, but they are just seriously so comfortable!)

If you've never been fishing before, definitely go out on the water one day! And if you use Captain Gary Jenkins, tell him that we sent you by telling him "Look at me. I am the captain now."

-Josh & Hil 

Epcot in a Day

Who says it takes 80 days to travel around the world? 

We did it in 8 hours. 

This was Josh's first time at Epcot and we really enjoyed tasting our way around the countries and exploring each one. Of course, we got chills when we heard the choir singing the National Anthem and the Military songs in the American building, because how can you not have pride in such a great nation?!

Josh's Favorite:

Test Track because it doesn't have drops like the normal roller coasters, but it goes wicked fast. I also love that I got to create my own car and run it again all of the other people in our car. I like a little competition so I enjoyed this. You better believe our car won best overall. 

Hil's Favorite:

Soarin' - above and beyond any other - I absolutely love this ride. I love how you never even leave that warehouse, but you feel like you're flying through the air. I was always one of those kids who wanted to know what it would be like to play in the clouds and this gives me a taste of that. While you're there, definitely take the Living With The Land ride because you'll see some really cool foods and some really huge watermelons. 

Helpful Hint:

These pictures are worth it. Sometimes the lines seem long, but if you are not frequent Disney goers, stop and take the picture with the characters ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE KIDS. My parents went to Disney for their honeymoon and dad still has the picture of mom and Minnie hanging about his work bench in the garage. I have a picture of my sister and I with Minnie Moues from when we were 5 that still brings back all the memories from that trip. They are ideal Disney memories and the characters are so sweet and always make us laugh. 

Photo Ops:

One at each country's landmark - 

The Moroccoan Pavillion, The Eiffel Tower, The Chinese Temple, The Japanese Tori Gate, etc. 

Space Ship Earth (The Giant Golf Ball) 

See ya real soon, Mickey!

-Josh & Hil 

Magic Kingdom in a Day!

Everything is better with friends & Disney is no different. This past year we rocked Magic Kingdom with two of our favorite couples! 

Here's this photo just because Disney ears are EVERYTHING. 

Check out our favorite Magic Kingdom moments below. 

Josh's Favorite:

Not the crowds, in case you were wondering :) I actually really enjoyed Splash Mountain. It was a pretty warm day, and it felt good to get a little splash in. 

Hil's Favorite:

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin because I beat Josh every time! My close second favorite is the Haunted Mansion because every time I go, I try to get one of the employees to smile! You should try too - but good luck! I've only had one smile at me. I also really enjoy Tom Sawyer Island and the Swiss Family Robinson Tree house because it's honestly just fun to explore. 

Helpful Hint:

Share a meal & pack snacks. Did you know that you can bring any food or drink that you want into the park with you? Seriously. You can. We even packed a small lunchbox with an ice pack so we could bring some fresh fruit and a few sodas for Josh. Yes, you have to wait in the long check bag line to get in, but just think of all the time (and calories) you'll save. Instead of spending $70 on lunch to feed your family sub-par fast food, let them each pick their own treat after eating a real lunch! We typically pack deli meat in our cooler and bring bread to make sandwiches or we will just make pb&j. We pack lots of snacks and bring plenty of drinks. Most places at Disney will also give you cups of water for free so don't be afraid to ask (better yet, bring your own water bottle to fill up with the water from the restaurants so you can take it with you). If you are at the park for the whole day though and doing all that walking, it is hard for me to pack enough snacks in a backpack to keep Josh fed and happy, so we recommend sharing a meal. A $12 meal shared between two people isn't that bad and it keeps you full long enough to get you through to your hotel room that night (or back home in our case). 

Photo Ops:

Cinderella's Castle (either head on or from the tomorrow land entrance)
Somewhere with the Haunted Mansion in the background
In front of the Magic Kingdom sign

Did you even go to Magic Kingdom if you don't get a picture in front of the castle?

-J&H 

Hollywood Studios in a Day

Here we are rocking a selfie in front of Rock 'n' Roller Coaster WHICH I drug Josh on against his will. He actually said that it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be (I might just make a roller coaster lover out of him yet). For this trip, we left our home in Fort Myers around 5 am, grabbed gas & donuts at the gas station and hit the road. Our very first fast pass was for Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, but luckily we got there a little bit before I thought we would and we caught the Beauty & The Beast show and it was fabulous. Such a timeless tale. 

Of course we had to wait in line at Star Wars Launch Bay to get our picture taken with Chewbacca. Josh loves Star Wars and pretty much fan boyed through this entire thing. Isn't it fun to watch someone you love get excited about something they love?

Josh's Favorite:

As stated above - Star Wars Bay Launch - ALL OF IT. We also caught part of March of the First Order and it was totally awesome. I think if I went into the wrong career. When we saw them again waiting on the Star Tours ride, I even got one of them close enough to me to take a selfie. I don't think he was smiling though...

Hil's Favorite:

I'm going to give the typical answer on this one - Rock 'n' Roller Coaster is my absolute favorite. It was even better this time because we rode it when it was raining outside. I also really enjoyed the Great Movie Ride (and am really sad that they closed it down). If you're looking for a nice indoor activity, though, check out the Frozen Sing Along! It was super cute. 

Helpful Hint:

As you probably know, you can get 3 Fast Passes at a time. Did you know, though, that if you use those 3 passes, that you can go back and get more one at a time? This actually rocks because sometimes you can fast pass something fabulous that you didn't get to earlier because it was sold out and some family thought they would have more stamina than they did and so they cancelled their fast passes and now they can be YOURS! Josh told me I was actually crazy because most of the day I was checking to see if I could get a better ride fast passed or if I could get a ride fast passed that was closer to the actual time, then I could use another one later in the day. I was a fast pass addict (Hi, I'm Hilary and I am an addict), but really, who wants to wait in lines all day?

Photo Ops:

The Star Wars Speeder Bike 

Tower of Terror in the Background

The Hollywood Studios Arch

With a Classic Car on Sunset Blvd.

Again, to prove we were actually there - here's our photo!

- J&H 

Disney Springs & Cirque du Soleil

For our  FIRST anniversary, my grandparents bought us tickets to see Cirque du Soleil at Disney Springs. We were planning to be at Disney anyways for our anniversary, so this was a special treat. Something that is really cool - my grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on the day of our Rehearsal Dinner. So our anniversary is 50 years and one day apart. Sooo we decided that we will do some fun trips together with them for our anniversary sometimes. Isn't it great to have a couple who is such a wonderful display of marriage to be around? 

Josh & I decided that we wanted to do dinner at Disney Springs before we took on Cirque du Soleil, so we searched for a restaurant with our favorite food - PIZZA! We went to Blaze Pizza for the first time - loved it (as you can see below) so much that we went back and ate it again after the show (Judge if you must). We also walked around some shops, got cupcakes from the Sprinkles ATM (yes - it is a machine that dispenses cupcakes) and had some exotic Coke flavors at the Coca-Cola Store.

We HIGHLY recommend Cirque de Coleil or any of their other performances if they come to a city near you. The show was riveting and completely captivating and we seriously loved every moment of it. There were a few times when I looked over at Josh and his jaw was just dropped. 

After the show (and more Blaze Pizza) we went over the Port Orleans Riverside and went to see Bob (this is actually a picture from another trip when we went to see Bob, but I wanted you to see him so here it is). Make sure you get there a little bit before his show to watch him, but it is really a great show and HONESTLY, what else at Disney is free? You can drive and use your lodging pass to get in for free at the gate, or you can take a bus from a park or Disney Springs to get here. Right next to his show room is a cafeteria where you can get warm homemade desserts, a nice meal, or some ice cream. He also performs in a bar of sorts where waitresses will serve you any drink of your choosing. Get ready for an interactive show where you will be laughing and dancing with everyone in the room.

Isn't Disney just the best? 

Until next time,

JH 

Animal Kingdom in a Day

For our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY, we decided to go to Disney. We went on a cruise for our honeymoon, but we got a decent deal on a 4 day (one park) pass as Florida Residents, so we went for it. We did one day at each park and this one we conquered with my Grandparents while wearing our Happily Ever After pins. 

I am definitely no Disney expert, nor do I claim to be, but I do know how to make good use of a fast pass and I can boogie around the park with the best of them. For this trip we did go at the beginning of February (yes, I am playing catch up on my blog) so it wasn't quite as busy as during peak season. Unfortunately (poor planning on my part), we went right before Pandora opened so we did miss that part of this park. 

For each of our Disney parks posts, I'm just going to tell you what each of us enjoyed the most at that park and share any helpful tips I have learned through my years at the Disney parks. 

Josh's Favorite:

I don't actually like roller coasters. At all. So for those of you that are like me, I will tell you that Expedition Everest was NOT THAT BAD (although I still don't love roller coasters). My favorite part, though, was for sure the Dinosaur ride. I am an avid dinosaur lover, so this was a total win for me, especially since it is more simulator than ride. I also have to mention that I really enjoyed the Wildlife Express Train & Kilimanjaro Safari and checking out all of the animals. 

Hil's Favorite:

I just love that Expedition Everest has that backwards drop. There isn't much better than that flop in your stomach during that part of the ride! Beyond that, though, I just loved walking and seeing all the animals. Take time to talk to the tour guides. They have some really great information about some of the animals. I wanted to see every single animals that the papers said I could see (and I did!). 

Helpful Hint:

One thing that we love is that you can actually ask any employee there (especially the ones with cameras) to take your picture. Obviously they will take it on their really nice camera, but they will also take it on your phone for you too. They really have the best idea for what you want in the background of your pictures (since their job is to take pictures of guests all day) so before you ask a random park guest, try to look for these guys to take your pictures if you really want ones to capture the moments. 

Photo Ops:

In front of the Tree of Life

One with Expedition Everest in the Background 

Here is our clique picture in front of the Tree of Life to prove that we were in fact actually at Animal Kingdom! 

-J & H

Summer in Rabun Co

Off we headed again to one of our favorite vacation spots. Pup was all in (as you can tell from the photo) and if you look carefully, you will see that we actually transported another friend with us this time (peep Beckett on the right). They were literally awesome the whole trip. We love traveling with our pup(s). 

One of the things that we love most about Rabun County (have I mentioned this before?) is the simple way of life. We literally love being lazy while we are there. We typically sleep in, cook a big breakfast (eggs, bacon & oatmeal anyone?), pack a simple lunch for our hike and then spend the afternoon hiking. We typically get back early afternoon, shower, cook a big (early) dinner, then binge watch every Netflix movie that has come out since the last time we were at the cabin. No joke. We were here for 5 days and watched 17 Netflix movies. (You do the math!) 

We tried some new hikes out this trip, and I just wanted to share them with you! 

Alright, I am not sure if this one is new or not, but one of our all time favorite trails to take pup on is this Black Rock Lake Trail at Black Rock Mountain State Park. It is less than a mile, but winds and curves back around the lake. We love that it is flat and that it is easy for pup to walk. Cincy loves the fact that it is near water, because he is quite the swimmer. It is rarely crowded and the terrain is still decent, even on rainy days! 

Part of our trip fell over the 4th of July (because everyone loves a holiday weekend getaway)! One of our favorite places to watch the fireworks is on the hill of the Rabun Gap School. Although parking is sometimes hard to come by, they put on a great show! I've also heard that there are some fabulous fireworks on the lake, but we've never made it down there.

This new hike was a super fun one. We went into Moccasin Creek State Park is not far from our cabin, so we headed that way. There is a one mile wildlife trail that loops through some forest. There are a few cool photo ops, and one little fort that you can climb up and see over the landscape. We enjoyed this walk because it was not crowded and easy to follow. Hemlock Falls was the second hike (after about a .75 mile walk) right past the entrance of the Wildlife Trail. There is also a street that you can drive down to park at the trail head, but you know us - always trying to get our miles in. Hemlock falls was a beautiful two-mile hike that is not too hard. There was some elevation, but the falls were so fun. Instead of a tall waterfall like you normally see, these are a little shorter, but oh so strong coming down. What is fun, though, is that you can basically just swim at the base of the falls (which you know that pup loved).

After you walk these trails, make sure you take a few minutes to check out the Burton Trout Hatchery. There are thousands of fish there from super tiny, to big trout. It is really cool to walk around and see how they grow them. The only downside is that pups aren't allowed, so we did a quick walk through to check it out (while we left pup in the car with the air on to cool down after our nice walk).

Another new adventure was to Anna Ruby Falls and Unicoi State Park. We did two different hikes this day. The second one was actually the hike to Anna Ruby falls (after a short drive through Unicoi State Park). The hike isn't too bad, but it is steep so make sure you wear decent shoes. We liked that it was short (less than a mile) and that it was paved! This helped since it had rained our entire trip to the park. The only bummer with this trail is that is does cost $3 a person to enter the Anna Ruby Rec Area. 

Y'all. This picture doesn't nearly do it justice. The views are stellar and completely breathtaking. 

P.S. If you are wondering why I am wearing hats in all of our pictures...it was tick season and Josh said, "I'm tired of picking ticks out of your mane." So there it is. 

This is where you can find me during any daylight hours when we are home at the cabin (typically with a book in hand)! 

<3 <3 <3, 

Hilary & Josh