Autumn in the mountains

Last weekend, Grandma Jackie came to visit and then we all drove to the mountains to visit Aunt Amber-Rae at Western Carolina. We probably picked the best weekend to go--the weather was perfect and the fall colors are gorgeous (but most of the leaves are still on the trees!). It was a long car trip for just one day, but Mabes did great.
We got to see the campus, Ber-Rae's dorm room, and the small college town, then had some fantastic pizza for lunch. We took these pictures at a point overlooking Cullowhee. It was a great view, and someday when I have more time I'll photoshop the power lines out!



Mabes got her first taste of tailgating and loved the crowds, music, and best of all mascots. She got to meet the WCU mascot:

And perhaps even more important, the Bojangle's mascot:

We drove back that evening, and to reward Mabes (and me!) for toughing out 6 hours in the car, we stopped at Cook-Out for burgers and shakes. It's different from In-N-Out, but makes me equally happy. Grandma Jackie looked a little guilty when I realized how much of her shake Mabes ate, but I just felt bad for Grandma! I'm more than happy to let Grandmas spoil Mabes, and Mabes doesn't seem to mind, either.

Happy birthday, Grandma Jackie!

To finish off the trio of August birthdays, today is Grandma Jackie's birthday. It's hard to believe that it has already been two years since we moved this way, but from the very start Mabes quickly bonded with her southern Grandma. We still don't see her as much as we'd like, but she's always on Mabes's list of suggestions for things to do on Saturday (right after eating waffles and going to Home Depot, so she's in good company). My mom is very thoughtful of others and there's not much that falls under "going out of her way" because she's always willing stop what she's doing to help out, especially for her kids and granddaughter.

And on to the dancing birfday-gram...

(posted by Dave)