Summer in a nutshell….

I cannot believe it's been since the end of March that we have blogged. There is no way we will be able to capture all that we have done or experienced since our last post. It has been such a busy yet fun season. We have done our share of traveling these past few months. It's been amazing! Oh and we got a new little addition to the fam- "Zee" our little sweet doggy. She was given to us by our neighbor. I'll also share some pictures of our latest adventures!

 Zee loves to go hiking with us! This was on the Fiery Gizzard Trail. Rated one of the USA's top 25 trails. It was beautiful!

  

Gray built this box to tote Zee around and for me to put groceries in! Love it! 

She's like a little kangaroo! So sweet. 

We went to the beach with the Pumpelly's and Brannon's in June. It was such a great time! 

Mrs. Julie and Mr. Hunter came to the Noog to visit! We took them hiking all around and I'm pretty sure we wore them out pretty good ;) oops. 

Gray and Dustin built their first table! It was made with no nails or screws, out of heart pine, poplar, and walnut! It is truly a piece of art! 

I got to go to Denver to visit Age and momma Rob! We went to Winter Park and had fun watching these nuts! 

Gray and I got the chance to hike up Mount LeConte with a group of friends and spend the night at the LeConte Lodge! What a cool experience! You hike in, (llamas pack in bedding and food for you) They feed you dinner and breakfast, and you hike out. So fun.

We went to Asheville and saw Trampled By Turtles play! It was a great weekend of hiking, music, and exploring! 

And then we 'trampled' up to Half Dome in Yosemite National Park!! What a wonder-full place to stand in awe. It was 3.5 hours to the top and 3.5 down. We scavenged some passes from fellow Georgians on the way up and got access to the cables to make it to the top! Super-Blessing!!

Then we hopped over to Sequoia National Park and turned ourselves into ants! at least we felt like ants. The trees were ginormous. We were dwarfed. The Sierra Nevadas are beautiful and we camped out next to a rock that night. We definitely got our outdoor fix!

And then we crossed the valley full of vineyards and orchards to arrive at the beach to meet our friends Dustin and Rachel. We camped amidst 5 campers and 5 tents in a lot. It was a great time of bonfire and community food! (they even had a tandem bike and paddle boards we got to ride!) 

Next stop, and last stop, was in L.A. Gray showed me where he worked for 3 years and we biked up and down the beach, thrift-shopped, climbed hills, met up with old friends and Surfed! It really is a great and beautiful place. We made it to the top of Griffith Observatory our last evening. (downtown L.A. in background and the Hollywood sign is in site) 

Well, like they say - a picture is worth a thousand words…so consider this a picture blog, if you will, because there were no words to express the majority of it!

To say the least, we had a blast. And we're taking the advice of our elders to 'Travel while your young! Travel before you have kids!' - Although, we will find our way to travel and adventure even when we do have youngin's! 

Thanks for stopping' in and reading our blog. Stay Alive!! Love, Sub and Gris!

Marching on thru March

I can't believe March is almost over, I guess when you're having fun the time does fly by. We have both been super busy and managing to have adventures along with our crazy schedules. We ended the month of February with a camping trip to Cloudland Canyon in North Georgia. We camped under the beautiful stars and kept warm by the fire and our double person sleeping bag. We awoke to a beautiful day and went for a trail run through the canyon.

We then drove back to Chattanooga via Lookout Mountain. We stumbled upon the hang gliding spot on top of the mountain. It was pretty cool to find where they depart and fly. If I get brave enough I'll let Gray convince me that we should go- He's dying to go (no pun intended). I am about a month into my new job and feel blessed to have met the people at the office. It's not perfect, but I see potential and a promising future for the practice. I have somewhat gotten adjusted to the new schedule- leaving the house at 6:50am and not getting home till 5:30ish. It makes for a long day, but my usual lunch break at the nearby park breaks up the day nicely. After work we usually go for a trail run or bike ride or do some yoga. We are enjoying being close to Stringer's Ridge, the trails are within running distance from the condo!

Gray is advancing in school and has competed his first project- his dove tail toolbox. He is now working on his sign. It all looks so amazing, he is really gifted and doing really well. He has also began sewing and making custom corn hole sets with homemade bean bags. As well as custom made coasters. I see a business starting up!

St. Patty's day was spent at a local Irish Pub with some friends, enjoying good beer and Irish music. That weekend also marks the weekend that our good friends, Lindsey and Jared got engaged!

Gray has recently gotten connected with a local wood craftsman that has a workshop right across the street from where we live! We passed by on our bikes and Gray happen to see him standing outside. He has graciously offered for Gray to work on projects in his shop. I am blown away at how God consistently takes care of us. Last weekend we road tripped back to Louisiana for Trevor and Tiffany's engagement party/ crawfish boil. It was a blast and the food was yummy! We also managed to pick up most of Gray's tools that he had in storage. He is hoping to be able to put some of his tools in this new workspace. Most of all, he is thankful for a new friend with similar interests and skills. Who knows what this connection will bring but we do know that God is leading us and providing for us each step of the way! We are truly thankful and blessed beyond measure!

                                               
                                   The yummy crawdads from the boil! And err body having fun!

  

Iggy and Llama continue on...

Hey all, Gris here…my first time to type in a blog!

I hope this reading finds you all in high spirits and great anticipation for the soon to come springtime!

Im usually the 'picture taker' while Sub is the 'blogger', but here's my good try…

So we have officially named and labeled our vehicles. We decided on calling the new Subaru the 'llama' for a few reasons. After climbing Mt Leconte, we learned that llamas were the main way that they transported luggage up to the cabins atop. They also do this in Peru. So, since llamas are travelers, hikers, and luggage carriers, we named the White Subaru "The Llama".
For the 1000$ 98 Green Subaru with 200 thousand miles and counting, Lauren named "Iggy". It is named after an Iguana. Good Tree Crawlers and all wheel drivers. Its the 'work truck'.
We ordered decals of a llama and an iguana and tagged our vehicles. :)

We are newlyweds at work in the Noog! We are both inside workers for the most part, giving us a greater appreciation for the outdoors. Its a transition in process, and we will cherish our afterwork playtime and date night / weekends more, now that we are hard at work during the week.

This past weekend, we went to Ocoee to mtn bike - what a beautiful place! Then we went on an 11 mile hike on the Cumberland Trail , with seattle like scenery and ending at a beautiful waterfall…Tennessee has hidden gems you would never think were here.

Monday we went to an Imagine Dragons concert in Nashville with our fellow transplant friends, Dustin and Rachel. They are a great couple and blessing to us. We had a blast.  It is really encouraging to have people who are in the 'same boat'.  Dustin and I are hard workers and it's such an encouragement to have a friend who has a vision and business experience.

                                                   Imagine Drangons concert live in Nashville


We have been working on a door for a lady, completely stripping it of all paint and stain, and refinishing it. What a task! But thankful for my sailboat restoration experience, I have exuberant patience.  We are definitely ready to finish it, though. It gets a little tough going to school in morning, then immediately to work, then after work… work.

Come on hands, hurry up and finish door, and Come on springtime, bring flowers forevermore!

Well, as an old AA member used to always say.. "You feed a brown cow Green grass you get White milk, that's the Amazing Grace of God - That's just the way It is." -Dan

                                         Give yourselves a big hug from us and Stay tuned.. :)

Like a storm rolling in...

It's pretty amazing that in one week Chattanooga went from being covered in snow, schools and businesses shut down, to 63 degrees and spring like conditions with bountiful sunshine, blue skies, and birds chirping. It is as though our lives follow this pattern of nature. One week we both went from having ample amounts of free time to having too much to do. It was last Tuesday, the day before the snow storm rolled in that things started to change for us. Gray had started school already and was busy working on projects for school and side jobs. He got a call after school on Tuesday with a job offer at Architectural Surfaces- the same place Dustin works. This job would be from after school until 4:30, then after work he works on his projects. The same Tuesday I got a call from a dental office with an opportunity to fill in for a hygienist who is going to be out for back surgery. I would fill in for 3 months, with the possibility of a position even after she comes back. So, within a day our lives and schedules changed quite a bit. I am still waiting to hear back from the dentists as to whether or not I get the position, but Gray is definitely a busy man. Like the storm rolling in and the next week the sun coming out, things can change quickly from quiet to loud, cold to warm, dry to wet, from a little to a lot. This is the pattern of nature and the pattern of our lives. It's the way God designed things and its all part of the adventure of life. Gray and I are excited for the spring, this means more bike rides and hikes and longer days! We imagine ourselves meeting at a trailhead and hitting the single track after work or doing a trail run and watching the sunset together. We will see what the weather will bring, in nature and in life. But one thing we do know is this, "whatever the weather may be we will weather the weather together."- T Berry. 

p.s. - I got a call last night while visiting with friends and immediately shoved Gray out of the booth to answer it. It was the office I interviewed with… I got the job! I start in about a week. God is Good. :)

Snow Days, New Friends, Bruised Tailbones...

     Well since our last adventure in the Smokys, a lot has happened. As it seems with everything, a lot always happens at once. We have recently made some new friends. Gray got the chance to go duck hunting with our new friend, Jared. His family has some property near here in North Georgia. This hunt was different than any other hunt Gray had ever been on, in order to set the decoys out they had to jump as hard as they could to break through at least 2 inches of ice! They didn't kill anything, but it was definitely an adventure that produced a new friendship in the duck blind. They were also rewarded by a beautiful sunrise. The following day was a beautiful, warmer day that we spent ontop of Signal Mountain with our other new friend, Nick. We met Nick at the Camp House Coffee shop a few weeks back. It was a beautiful day, we discovered some frozen waterfalls, caves, and did a little spontaneous climbing- due to my poor trail leading abilities. It made for an adventure that got our hearts beating a little faster.

     Gray started school on Monday and is learning the basics about wood and knives. He is accompanied by Dustin, the only other student who is starting the semester fresh with him. Dustin and his wife just moved to Chattanooga from Las Vegas. They are a super nice couple and we look forward to getting to know them better as well. Last night Jared had us and some of his friends over for venison burgers. It was delicious and very fun. We ended the night with some sledding in the street on picnic tables and in boxes, only to escape with a bruised tail bone, lots of laughs, and some more new friendships.

     Tuesday we had a surprise snow storm hit Chattanooga. It made for quite a mess around town. Traffic filled the streets all day, with numerous cars sliding off the roads and into other cars. The roads were super icy and the snow was plentiful. Everything is still shutdown, as the high is only in the mid-twenties today. Gray is building a table with Dustin so they can make cool wood things at his house. Gray is pumped to start making things and is really enjoying school so far. I ended up going on a walk with two of the girls I met last night. Our walk turned into an all day affair of walking, running, window shopping and trying a few beers at the local beer spot, Heaven and Ale. It was a beautiful, productive snow day number 2.

Each day brings new challenges, blessings, friends, obstacles, and joys. We are still walking in faith that God is providing exactly what we need for each day and He has a great plan for our lives.

 

Off to the Smokies we go!

Like I said in my previous post, we are trusting God will provide for us. Well, the same day I had written the last blog the owner of the Woodworking Academy called Gray and offered him a little side job to get his feet wet in woodworking. Gray will be refinishing a door for a lady here in town and will make a pretty penny for doing it! God is good, and He does provide! 

The Smokies were great! Our adventure started off in Gatlinburg. We arrived Friday afternoon not knowing where we were going to stay that night and not 100% sure about the route we would take on our hike up Mt LeConte the following day. We decided to stop inside the Natahala Outdoor Center and browse around and talk to some of the workers. Gray mentioned to one of the workers we were looking for a spot to stay that night. She wasn't sure we would find a place since it was a holiday weekend and everything would be pretty expensive. Out of nowhere a man behind Gray said he owned some condos right down the road on the river. He offered to let us stay in one and gave us a killer deal and even waived the cleaning fees. What a great way to start off our trip! We then made our way up to the camping section and talked with some workers and fellow trail seekers. We came up with a route for our hike after meeting a guy from New Orleans that gave us some tips. We were also convinced to buy spikes for our shoes since there would be heavy snow and ice on the mountain. I was a bit nervous about it being really cold on top and whether or not we would be able to stay warm enough to sleep on the top of the third highest peak in the Smokies in January!! I was a nervous wreck. 
Gray helped me and told me we could get an early start and if we didn't want to sleep in the shelter on the top we could just hike down. Wheww. I was a lot better. So the next morning we ate a quick breakfast and started the walk. What a beautiful walk it was! It was like a winter wonderland, snow everywhere! The trees held the snow so gracefully and beautifully. The creeks partly frozen, which made for tricky crossings, the beautiful blue sky, and the icicles hanging from the rocks. It was like we were hiking through Narnia. We even met the lodge-keeper (who stays atop Leconte during the winter months) on the way up and he assured us it was worth the hike, but told us it may be a bit cold to sleep - but it was definitely do-able. We finally arrived on the top after 8 miles and 4,000 feet in elevation gain! The view was outstanding. Looking out from the cliff tops we could see for miles, gazing at the ever so blue, Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance, it was definitely worth the trek. Snow beneath out feet and Sun above our heads, we found the shelter we were scheduled to stay in and sat on the benches for a break and a snack. It was so relieving to take the packs off! We gazed around and noticed that the fire pit inside the wall had been blocked in due to people burning wrong things in the past. Bummer. With the weather forecast of Gatlinburg saying it was going to be in the teens and well below that with the wind factor, I can safely say it was an unanimous vote to hike back down and get some hot food and sleep in a warm cabin. So, we hopped up and started the walk down. I have to admit, I was pretty relieved that I didn't have to freeze all night long! The walk down was much quicker- although it still took almost 3 hours to get down. We arrived at our car around 6:15pm, right as the sky turned dark. What a long (16 mi. hike), challenging, beautiful day in the Smokies. We then went to our favorite spot we found in Gatlinburg (or should I say the lest touristy spot), the Great Smoky Mountain Brewery. We filled our well deserving bellies and then headed to our little cabin in the RV park for some sleep! (We still got to use our sleeping bags in the cabin and they kept us nice and toasty!) We cannot wait to come back to the Smokies, we'll save the camping up top for warmer weather :)  

And like johnny Cash's song 'one piece at a time' - we are taking the Trails of Life, 'one step at a time', enjoying every one of them.

Together is better

We recently got married, (it'll be 3 months on the 26th of this month) and a lot has happened. But we wouldn't of had it any other way. One thing I can say as a new bride is going on adventures in God's creation with the one you love magnifies your love for your spouse like nothing else does.

While honeymooning in Spain Gray and I talked about what we wanted our life to look like as a married couple and I believe traveling abroad helped us see we didn't want the usual typical American consumer based lifestyle. We desired to be stretched, to live in a place we could pursue our passions and enjoy the outdoors, together. So, two weeks after being married we drove up to Chattanooga to check out the Chattanooga Woodworking Academy. We were very impressed with the head teacher, the facility, and the city. We decided that this is what God had for us. We were blessed to have a place to live in Chattanooga. Gray's parents have a condo here in Chattanooga and they so kindly offered us to live in it. It seemed like a no brainer to move here. 

Well, we both quit our jobs, moved out of our precious little rent house in downtown Lake Charles, gave Gray's truck away and loaded up the Subaru. We pulled a U-Haul with a motorcycle and about 5 bicycles on it. We made it to our new home! It has seemed like a whirlwind, but it's nice to be here and explore our new home, together. We took advantage of our transition time and spent New Years in Nashville, rang in the New Year with Old Crow Medicine Show then went to Denver to visit Adrienne. We got to go skiing in Vail with the whole family and had a blast. We had quite the trip back, as a winter storm was not agreeing with all the airplanes trying to fly out. But, nonetheless we made it back safe and sound. Gray starts the academy on the 27th and I am working on getting my Tennessee Dental Hygiene license and plan to get a job in the near future. In the mean time we have had a blast exploring Chattanooga and the surrounding area! We have a trip planned to the Smokies. We will summit Mt Le Conte and spend the night in a shelter on top of the mountain. Hopefully we will keep each other warm. Thanks to Audra, we have a double person sleeping bag, so I think we will survive :) 

So, here we are, in Chattanooga, at the foothills of the Smokies, newlyweds, pursuing our passions together and fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. We believe He is leading us and we laugh at the future any time we start to have fear. We know God is going to provide for us- He always does, always has, and we know He always will! We are excited for the journey and look forward for what is to come! But one thing I know that will happen is that we will continue to live alive together, no matter what the outcome! Together is better than one!